Some Teeth Just Wear Out. What You Can Do To Take Back Your Smile

Most people will have all their permanent teeth—excluding wisdom teeth—around 12-13 years old. As the average American life expectancy is just under 80 years old, that is a long time for your teeth to hold up. And in some cases, your teeth may wear down over the intervening years.

Some things like tooth decay, genetics, oral hygiene practices, and diet can impact the durability of your teeth. But you don’t have to just accept worn-down teeth. Instead, Riverside Dental Care can help you reclaim your smile with the help of dental veneers.

Why Pick Veneers To Repair Worn-Down Teeth

There are plenty of reasons to choose dental veneers to help revitalize your smile when your teeth have worn-down. For one thing, veneers provide you with a very natural appearance. You can also work with our dentists on the color, shape, and length of your veneers.

Also, depending on what type of veneers you choose, you can enjoy more stain-resistant teeth once your veneers are on. Also, porcelain veneers, in particular, are easier on your gums. In general, veneers are used on your front teeth. That way, you can enjoy flashing a confident smile.

Types Of Veneers You Can Choose

As you consider if veneers are what you need to reach your ideal smile, it may help to know what your options are when it comes to veneers. Below are the different types of veneers.

• Porcelain Veneers – Most durable and stain-resistant porcelain veneers are the gold standard when it comes to veneers. Custom-made from thin layers of porcelain, you can enjoy a beautiful, natural-looking smile with porcelain veneers.
• Instant Veneers – Instant veneers are the press-on nails of the veneers world. These veneers are pre-made and are often a hybrid of dental materials. With instant veneers, you can have same-day veneers applied, as you are simply choosing from pre-made stock and having it applied.
• Composite Veneers – An affordable option in-between instant veneers and porcelain veneers, composite veneers are made with composite resin. These veneers are applied by having composite resin applied to your teeth and shaped, rather than having them made in advance from an impression. As they are hardened by a special light, composite veneers can be placed same-day, though they are not always as natural-looking as porcelain veneers.
• Removable Veneers – As the name implies, removable veneers are not a permanent smile correction. Instead, veneers are attached to a retainer and can be put on for short-term smile improvements. These veneers cannot be worn while eating and do not change your actual smile.
• Feldspathic Veneers – A specializes type of porcelain veneers, feldspathic veneers are created by having thin layers of porcelain stacked. This process creates incredibly natural-looking veneers that are strong and attractive. However, these veneers are also the most expensive, due to the extra work that goes into designing them.

Process To Get Dental Veneers

Depending on which type of dental veneers you choose can impact the process you follow to receive them. To help you get a general idea of the process, we have outlined the steps below.

1. Consultation with the dentist – During your veneers consultation, our dentists will discuss what your goals are and what you hope to see with veneers. To ensure that your teeth are healthy, our dentists will examine your teeth and may have x-rays taken to ensure no dental decay is neglected.
2. Tooth preparation – To ensure a natural look, our dentists will prepare your teeth to receive veneers by shaping them and removings some of the enamel. Once your teeth are appropriately shaped, an impression of your teeth will be made. This impression is sent to the dental laboratory so that your veneers can be fabricated. It can take between 2-4 weeks for the veneers to be created.
3. Bonding of veneers – Once your veneers have been created and received at our dental clinic, our dentists will check the fit and color. They may trim and shape your veneers before using dental cement to bond the veneers to your teeth then use a specialized light to cure the dental cement.
4. Follow-up visit – Just to make sure that everything is going well with your veneers, our dentists may ask for you to come in for a follow-up visit to check on your new veneers.

Again, depending on the type of veneer you choose, this process may be different for you. However, once you come in for your veneer consultation with one of our dentists, they should be able to outline your personal dental veneer process.

When you are ready to revitalize your smile, feel free to contact us to set up your consultation with our experienced dentists.