Are porcelain veneers a good option for me in Charlotte?

Dental Veneers

Porcelain veneers are without a doubt one of the greatest developments yet for those who have longed to have the perfect smile in Charlotte. Though many methods for cosmetically enhancing or repairing damaged or unsightly teeth have evolved over the decades, the introduction of teeth veneers, or dental veneers, to the Charlotte cosmetic dentist’s arsenal has made the process of improving a person’s smile easier, far more comfortable for the patient and much less time-consuming. Porcelain veneers have come to the forefront in the quest for dazzling white teeth and a truly attractive smile.

One of the most often-used means of improving the appearance of broken, chipped, stained or badly decayed teeth has been to cover the unsightly teeth with eye-pleasing crowns, which are cemented to the damaged teeth, usually covering them completely. The crowns are perfectly shaped and perfectly colored, and make for a stunningly beautiful smile. They are also quite strong and stain-resistant, and allow the recipient to enjoy the foods and drinks he or she consumed before the crowns were installed.

                                                                                                                                                            

Installing crowns normally involves physically reshaping the teeth, quite often entailing the removal of some healthy tooth material along with the bad in order to leave the perfect nub that will accept the crown. An advantage of having crowns made is that crowns allow for major reshaping of damaged or malformed teeth. Once a tooth has been reshaped to accept a crown, however, it will always require a crown. There is no going back once tooth material has been removed. A point to keep in mind is that as the patient’s gums naturally recede with age, a visible line may appear where the original crown once met the gum line. In some cases, an individual may then be faced with the expense of having a new set of crowns made.                                                  
With dental veneers, only minor reshaping of damaged teeth is possible, but if major reshaping is not required, the advantages of dental veneers are many. First off (and most importantly, for many people), there is little to no tooth restructuring involved. This means, in nearly all cases, no anesthetic, no pain or discomfort whatsoever, no post-procedure sensitivity or recuperation time and no prolonged schedule of visits.
 
There are different types of teeth veneers, also called porcelain veneers, some of them consisting of a composite resin that is applied to the outsides of the affected teeth. These composite resin dental veneers are very strong, and have the advantage of quite often requiring only one visit to the Charlotte cosmetic dentist. This type of dental veneer also allows for some reshaping of a tooth, since a thin layer of material is added to the natural tooth’s surface. It does not allow for as much reshaping as does the crown, however.
                                                                                                                                             
One disadvantage of composite resin dental veneers is that over time they may become less resistant to staining. They may also be subject to cracking and breaking over time, particularly if the recipient grinds his or her teeth. Porcelain veneers, which are made of a highly advanced, glasslike ceramic, have the advantages of being extremely durable – more so than composite resin dental veneers – and of being exceptionally resistant to staining because of their glasslike quality. They are, in fact, nearly translucent, making them far more suited to retaining a natural tooth color while allowing faults and blemishes to be concealed. Porcelain veneers are applied to the outer surfaces of the teeth, just like composite resin dental veneers, but in extremely thin layers. Porcelain veneers may only have a thickness of one millimeter! This means porcelain veneers can be applied without noticeably affecting the size of the teeth, yet they can be applied in slightly thicker layers if minor reshaping is required.
                                                                                                                                                       
The decision on what type cosmetic procedure to have can only be made after consulting with your local Charlotte cosmetic dentist. Your Charlotte cosmetic dentist can fully explain the pros and cons of porcelain veneers and other procedures, and talk you through each process. If your teeth do not require major restructuring in order for you to have the smile you want, you may well find yourself among the growing number of people in Charlotte North Carolina who opt for porcelain veneers.