It’s no surprise that someone’s smile is often the first thing you notice. The attractiveness of your smile can impact your social and professional life. One way to improve your smile is through porcelain veneers. Veneers are quickly becoming one of the most desirable and popular options in restorative and cosmetic dentistry, thanks to celebrities and other influencers. Not only can you beautify your smile instantly, but you can also restore your teeth with the thin porcelain facing that is called a veneer. Furthermore, veneers can correct misalignment or gaps between your teeth, cover chips and cracks, and much more.

What Are Dental Veneers?

Veneers offer the ability to customize your ideal smile. They are made of very thin shells of porcelain crafted to match the shape and color of your teeth. They are made by hand and carefully bonded to the front side of your teeth to fix aesthetic problems. They replace approximately 0.3–0.5mm of tooth structure, and can mask and mold teeth into a desirable shape, form, and color regardless of what is underneath them.

How To Get Veneers

First, a consultation is necessary to figure out your ideal smile and whether or not that can be accomplished with dental veneers. If veneers are the right solution for your dental health and goals, then there are a few more appointments that follow. The next visit involves using computer software, wax, and plaster models to design your new look. Impressions of your teeth are sent to a lab to help create a seamlessly beautiful smile.

At your placement appointment, your teeth are prepped for veneers by removing a thin layer of enamel that allows the veneers to bond perfectly to your teeth. You then wear temporaries that mimic your final result for a minimum of two weeks to make sure you’re happy with the new shape, size, and contours. Then, at the delivery appointment, the temporaries are removed and the final porcelain products are cemented in, which takes approximately 1.5 hours. New veneers are ready for use for eating and smiling bigger than before. Veneers are easy to take care of; simply brush and floss the same as your natural teeth!

Benefits of Veneers

  • Save time. Rather than straightening teeth with braces that can take months or years, you can use veneers to permanently correct misalignment issues.
  • Get your perfect smile. Veneers quickly and easily close gaps in your smile to give you more confidence.
  • Cover chips, cracks, or discolorations. Veneers can correct most dental imperfections.

Kathryn Sneed, DMD, MBA, FAGpO, FMii, is trained in IV sedation, dental implants, oral surgery, bone grafting, cosmetic dentistry, general dentistry, pediatrics, Botox and fillers, and orthodontics. She has two offices: 1122 Poplar View Lane N, Collierville, TN and 8095 Macon Road, Cordova, TN. SneedDentalArts.com 901.853.2575