Myths about Porcelain Veneers

As a cosmetic dental procedure, veneers are highly popular and generate buzz online regarding the procedure itself and treatment outcomes. Seeking care from a qualified dentist who listens to your concerns, takes the time to customize your treatment, and explains every part of the process along the way is vital in helping to avoid some of the pitfalls many patients may fall into by seeking care from a less-than-thorough practitioner. While stories of veneers gone wrong are available online, there are some stories about veneer therapy that prove to be untrue when seeking care from an experienced cosmetic dentist, such as:

Getting Veneers is Painful - While some patients report discomfort during their veneer procedure, a careful dentist is able to ensure that your treatment is as free of discomfort as possible by skillfully applying a local anesthetic. While the veneers treatment process is not invasive, teeth do have to be prepared so that your veneers can be securely applied and look natural, which is where a gentle touch and use of a numbing agent are particularly important.

Veneers Damage Your Teeth – Because a veneer is of a certain thickness, natural dental enamel must first be buffed, or prepared, so that your veneers do not add extra, uncomfortable bulk to teeth. However, the thickness of the veneer and the amount of dental enamel that must be prepared is quite thin – typically 1 millimeter or less. In comparison, the edge of a quarter is almost double the thickness of a porcelain veneer at 1.75 millimeters. Before beginning the veneer treatment process, our North Canton cosmetic dentist – Dr. Julie Thomas – explains exactly how much dental enamel will be removed, so you can feel comfortable with the procedure. While tooth enamel must be prepared, this process does not involve the extreme alteration of teeth, as what is typically indicated with the use of dental crowns for severely decayed teeth.

Veneers Stain – Your porcelain veneers are made to stand up to staining and should not discolor over time. For a bright white uniform look, natural teeth can first be bleached and veneers can be made to match your new teeth shade. If you have just a few veneers applied, it’s important to keep in mind that natural dental enamel can still stain with repeated exposure to things like coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco. To protect the color of your new smile, it’s best to minimize these diet and lifestyle choices.

Ask Our Office about Porcelain Veneers

If you have questions about how many veneers are right for your treatment needs, what wearing veneers is like, and what you can expect from treatment, contact our office for your consultation. We avoid over-treatment and help you enjoy a lasting healthy and beautiful smile by only placing the number of veneers that you absolutely need to meet your goals. Dr. Julie Thomas works hard to ensure that you are educated and comfortable regarding your procedure.

Cosmetic Dentistry: Preparing for your Consultation

If you’re in the market for a more beautiful smile, scheduling a cosmetic dentistry consultation is the place where your goals are established and your dentist has a chance to recommend care that will work best for you.

Before heading into your cosmetic dental consultation, consider asking the following to help create a productive first meeting that answers questions and promotes treatment satisfaction:

What Materials Will be used in Treatment? Everyone’s treatment goals differ and there are different restorative materials your dentist can use to help you meet those. If you have teeth that are worn down from bruxism, a restoration with a strong metal base may be your best bet. For cosmetically restoring teeth in your smile zone, completely tooth-colored materials like all-porcelain or e.max® are excellent choices. Be sure to ask you dentist what materials they will use during treatment so that you are comfortable with the final result.

What are My Conservative Treatment Options? Patients with severely damaged teeth may need a comprehensive restoration like dental crowns, which involves preparing teeth by first removing damaged dental enamel. However, if much of your tooth structure is healthy, restoring function and appearance can be completed with procedures that keep more of your teeth in-tact, such as an onlay, inlay, or veneer. For some patients, brightening teeth and correcting tooth shape can be conservatively accomplished with teeth bleaching and placement of a few veneers. Be sure to ask your dentist about ways to combine treatments that allow you to keep as much of your natural teeth as possible.

Offers, Payments, Financing: Patients should note that, depending on providers and coverage limits, procedures deemed for purely cosmetic benefit may not be covered. If available, ask your cosmetic dentist about new patient offers, in-house payment plans, or special financing they can help you apply for to support your treatment plan.

Do your research!

Patient Reviews: Reading up on other patients’ reactions to service can help you decide if you like your chosen dentist’s commitment to care and chair-side manner. Check out trusted review sites, such as Google+ or Yelp to see what other patients or visitors have to say about the office you plan to visit. Make sure to note whether the dentists answered questions, helped patient make good choices about their treatment, and set up the right expectations.

View Before and After Transformation:  Making sure that you like your dentist’s treatment methodology and results is essential in feeling comfortable with care. Before you schedule your consultation, look through your cosmetic dentists’ before and after gallery to get an idea of the results you can expect with various procedures.

Our North Canton dental office takes to get to know you, understand your needs, and recommend treatments and materials for long-lasting, beautiful results. Contact our office today to schedule your consultation or view our Smile Gallery to see before and afters.