Prepping Your Teeth for Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are thin shells that are used to cover the front surface of teeth. Veneers are bonded to teeth to change their shape, length, color or size. They are designed to enhance or change the appearance of damaged or undesired teeth. You should consider getting dental veneers if you want to improve your appearance.

Dental veneers procedure

Dental veneers can be used to fix many types of problems. Dentists usually recommend them for teeth that are worn down, chipped, broken, discolored, misaligned, irregularly shaped or uneven. Veneers can also be used to fix teeth with spaces between them. To get a veneer, a person usually needs to visit a dentist several times. Here is what a person can expect during the prepping of teeth for veneers.

Prepping the teeth

Veneers may require the prepping or shaping of the teeth being treated. The amount of prep work required will mainly depend on the type of veneer chosen, the position of the teeth and the method a dentist prefers to use to prepare a tooth. Prior to trimming off the enamel, the dentist and patient will decide if a local anesthetic is needed to numb the area. Teeth that require minimal preparation or that have been root canaled may allow a patient to avoid the need for anesthetic. To prepare the tooth, a dentist will reshape the surface of the tooth, which is an amount that is almost equal to the thickness of the dental veneer that is to be added to the surface of the tooth.

The dentist will take an impression or model of the tooth. The dentist may use an impression material, which starts out as a thick paste. This material is filled into a tray and then placed in the mouth. The dental assistant will most probably hold the impression tray in the mouth for a couple of minutes until the material sets.

An impression of how a patient’s teeth bite together will also be taken. The impression material will be applied to the biting surface of the top and bottom teeth. A patient will be required to bite down into the material for some minutes just until the material sets. If all the impressions are good, they will then be delivered to the dental laboratory. The veneers will be constructed in the lab. It often takes a few weeks for the dentist to get the veneers back.

Bonding

Before a veneer is cemented permanently to the tooth, the dentist will have to examine its color and fit and if necessary make adjustments. To prepare the tooth for the veneer, it will have to be cleaned, polished and etched. The veneer will then be placed on the tooth. A person may have to visit a dentist again for a follow-up after some weeks.

Takeaway

Dental veneers can help solve most of your cosmetic dental issues. The procedure of getting dental veneers involves preparing the teeth. A veneer requires the removal of the tooth’s enamel surface. Your dentist will then take an impression of your tooth and send it to the lab. After receiving the veneer from the lab, it will be cemented permanently to your tooth. If you need to learn more about the dental veneer procedure, talk to your dentist.

Are you considering getting dental veneers in the Lilburn area? Get more information at https://www.lilburnfamilydentistry.com.

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