Dentists use veneers in Edina to help people eliminate flaws in their most visible teeth by covering them with perfect shells made of porcelain or composite resins coloured to match their own natural teeth perfectly.
Veneers can eliminate flaws like: broken and chipped teeth; teeth discoloured in ways that can’t be bleached or whitened away; inconsistent or wide spaces between teeth; unusually small or inconsistently sized teeth; and unusually or inconsistently shaped teeth. You can get veneers from a dentist near you to correct flaws in a single tooth or completely renovate and redefine your smile by covering all the teeth in your smile zone with pristine veneers.
Traditional vs no-prep veneers
Before a traditional porcelain veneer is placed on your tooth, your dentist in Edina will remove a very thin layer of enamel from that tooth. Removing that layer allows your veneer to lay flat against your tooth without adding any bulk or noticeable lip at the edge of your veneer near your gum line. This need to remove some material from your tooth is one of the downsides of getting veneers near you. Removing enamel is a permanent step, meaning that the tooth or teeth will always need to be protected by veneers or crowns going forward. Because some people find the process of removing enamel uncomfortable, it is usually done under local anesthetic. In some cases, people report increased sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures while wearing veneers due to the removal of enamel, though that is often a temporary sensation.
If removing enamel from your teeth to accommodate veneers concerns you or your dentist, your dentist may recommend using “no-prep” veneers. As their name implies, no-prep veneers can be placed on a tooth without removing any enamel (or after removing less enamel than required to place a traditional veneer). As a result, no-prep veneers can be placed even more quickly than traditional veneers, and often without any need for anesthetic. No-prep veneers may not be appropriate for every situation because they tend to be slightly more transparent than traditional veneers.
Neither traditional nor no-prep veneers are the same as dental crowns, though they can accomplish some of the same cosmetic goals. Crowns cover the entire tooth — front, sides and back, all the way around the tooth — from the biting surface all the way to the gum line. Veneers do not cover the back side of a tooth.
How long do veneers last?
To some extent, you influence just how long your veneers last. If you neglect your teeth and the underlying tooth develops tooth decay and cavities, your veneer is vulnerable to being damaged or dislodged (or being removed to treat the cavity). If, on the other hand, you take good care of your oral hygiene and avoid some bad habits that threaten the integrity of veneers — more about those later — traditional veneers will typically last for 10 to 15 years. No-prep veneers generally have a shorter life span of five to seven years.
We mentioned bad habits. Anything that exposes your veneers to unusual or sustained pressure can damage your veneers. Some of the best ways to damage your veneers and shorten their life span are: to chew pencils and your fingernails; open bottles with your teeth; tear packages open with your teeth; clench your jaw and grind your teeth as you sleep; or chew hard candy or ice. Of course, if you want to keep your veneers for the long term, you could give up those habits.
To take the first step toward perfecting the appearance of your teeth using veneers in Edina, contact a dentist near you.