New York Porcelain Veneers Dentist - What are Porcelain Veneers?

April 6, 2010 - PRLog -- Porcelain veneers, also known as dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are ultra-thin shells made of porcelain bonded to the front of the teeth. This creates cosmetically improves the condition of the tooth or teeth that are worn, misaligned, chipped, or discolored. Porcelain veneers have two great advantages that place them high above other types of cosmetic dental bonding.

The first advantage is that they create an extremely “life-like” tooth. The enamel of a tooth is nearly translucent which means the inner color is what gives them the color. When a porcelain veneer is placed on a tooth, the outer discoloring is removed, and the veneer allows the inner coloring that perfectly matches the other teeth to shine through.

The second advantage of porcelain veneers is that they resist staining. Many people seek this procedure because they have habits involving coffee, red wine, cigarettes, or others that discolor teeth. Porcelain is a glass-like material, and thus, not even slightly porous to cause new accumulating stains.

Getting a porcelain veneer requires three separate trips to the dentist. The first appointment is for the consultation and the following two are to make and apply them. Whether one tooth or several are having porcelain veneers applied, the procedure is the same.

During the first appointment with the dentist, the patient and the dentist plan the desired results. The dentist will examine the teeth in question to ensure that porcelain veneers are the appropriate solution to the problem. If the problem is purely cosmetic or preventative, the dentist will likely go ahead with the procedure. If the unattractive look is due to a medical condition, the dentist must focus on health first. Finally, the dentist will take X-rays and impressions of the teeth to prepare for making the veneers.

Next, the tooth or teeth needs to be prepped for the veneer. A local anesthetic is applied to the area. It is important that the tooth is numb because the dentist must remove about ½ millimeter of enamel from the surface so that the veneer lays smooth with the surrounding teeth. After the enamel has been scraped off, the dentist will make an impression of the teeth. The impressions will be sent to a dental laboratory to construct the porcelain veneer. On average, this process takes about 1 to 2 weeks.

At the third appointment, the porcelain veneers are bonded to the teeth. They are permanently cemented so the dentist will temporarily place them on before adhering them. This is to ensure the color and fit are appropriate. The dentist will trim and remove the veneer until the exact fit is achieved. Before the veneer can be cemented on, the teeth must be cleaned, polished, and etched. Etching the teeth roughens them to allow for the strongest bond.

After the teeth are prepared and the veneers have been adjusted, it is time to apply to them to the teeth. A special cement is applied to the veneer, and then the veneer is placed on the teeth. When they are in the proper position, the dentist will shine a light beam on the porcelain veneer. This activates chemicals in the cement which causes them to harden much more quickly.

The last step is to remove any excess cement that got pushed out of the veneer. The dentist may want the patient to return for a follow up appointment a few weeks after the last visit to make sure that the gums are responding to the presence of a foreign material in the mouth.

While the procedure of getting porcelain veneers may seem time consuming, the results are worth it. Other procedures that are complete in a single hour tend to not match the rest of the mouth and deteriorate quickly. For a cosmetic dental procedure of the highest quality, choose porcelain veneers.

For more information on New York porcelain veneers, please visit http://www.nyccd.com.