Monday, April 23, 2012

Dental Veneer

By Rosalba Powells


Cosmetic dentists have long been using porcelain veneers to enhance their patients' smiles. Veneers are extremely effective at providing cosmetic dental patients with the straight, white smiles for which they have yearned. Veneers can also be applied in just one visit to the dentist, which is an added benefit; there are, though, several appointments required throughout the process of getting your veneers.

Porcelain and composite dental veneers, though, also have a number of differences. Composite veneers are often created directly in a patient's mouth. These veneers are crafted one by one inside of patient's mouth, on top of his or her natural teeth; subsequently, the patient remains in the dentist's office until the new set of veneers have dried and cemented themselves to the teeth. Composite veneers can also be created in a dental lab and glued to the patient's teeth using a special kind of non-toxic glue. Porcelain veneers, however, are unable to be made in a patient's mouth and must be crafted in a dental lab. Then, using another type of dental glue, they are attached to a patient's natural teeth.

The primary downside of having porcelain veneers applied is that, in order for the veneers to stick to your teeth, your dentist has to buff off some of each tooth's enamel. Your cosmetic dentist will remove as little enamel as they are able, but this aspect of the application process is still an issue. This is because enamel will never regenerate, so your teeth are permanently damaged.

Furthermore, should you ever opt to remove your veneers in favor of your natural teeth, they will not be as healthy as they were prior to the procedure. The fact that your enamel has been removed can cause your teeth to be extremely sensitive to heat and coldness, which can make eating and drinking painful. You may also be more susceptible to cavities and other tooth damage due to the reduced amount of enamel.

It typically takes one to two weeks for your body to become accustomed to having veneers. During this time, you may feel some pressure on your teeth, but there should not be significant pain. While some people become accustomed to their new veneers, they actually develop a lisp. This speech impediment will not naturally disappear after the adjustment period, so it is something that must be dealt with in some other way. Sometimes, the dentist can simply shave down the veneers to eliminate the lisp, but other situations call for speech therapy.

If you would like to obtain a set of porcelain veneers, remember to talk to your dentist about both the advantages and downsides of this treatment option. You can subsequently make a well-informed choice about whether or not you should proceed.




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