Filling The Gap In Your Smile With Porcelain Veneers

Gaps between your teeth can interrupt an otherwise beautiful smile. If you want to close a gap (or two) between your teeth, consider using veneers. Veneers can be made out of porcelain and are attached to your existing teeth. The porcelain can be shaped, sized, and colored to fill the gap while complementing the nearby teeth. Here is how a dentist improves your smile using porcelain veneers.

More Than One Visit

You should typically expect to make at least three visits to your dental office before the dentist can apply porcelain veneers to your teeth. The first visit will be to determine how effective the veneers will be for your particular situation and what you want to accomplish by having them applied to your teeth. The dentist will typically take x-rays of your teeth and might even make a mold, or impression, of your teeth for future reference.

Preparing the Tooth

In many cases, the dentist will trim down the surface of enamel that naturally covers your teeth so the veneer will fit correctly onto your tooth. The dentist will then take measurements to determine the size and shape of the veneer. The dentists will make new impressions of your teeth that will be covered with porcelain. The measurements and impressions will usually be sent to a dental laboratory that will make the actual veneer for the dentist (unless the dental office performs this type of service on site). The process of sending the information to a dental laboratory and getting the veneers back generally takes about two to three weeks.

Applying the Veneer

The veneer will be bonded to the surface of your teeth using a strong cementing agent. The first thing the dentist will do is to make sure the veneer fits properly. This process can take a few minutes as the dentist will temporary place the veneer onto the tooth, or teeth, being covered and then take it back out again to make any adjustments in size and shape - the process could be repeated a few time. The dentist might file the edge down a little so it fits well. The dentist will also clean, polish, and etch each tooth to make sure the cementing agent will hold up over a long period of time. The dentist will also make sure the veneer matches the color of your existing teeth before they actually apply the veneer to your tooth. After these steps are done, the dentist will cement the veneer to the tooth being covered.

For more information about this process, contact a professional such as Aaron G Birch, DDS PC.