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What is a Dental Veneer?
A dental veneer is a tooth-shaped and tooth-colored porcelain chip attached to the front face of your tooth. If you have a minor chip, crack, discoloration, or stain on your tooth, you can attach a veneer to transform its external appearance. A dental veneer essentially replaces the external enamel of your tooth, thus transforming the cosmetic appearance.
You can get a few dental veneers to transform the appearance of a few damaged teeth, or you can get a full set of dental veneers for a complete smile makeover. A complete set of dental veneers can help you achieve a perfectly bright, even, and uniform smile. Porcelain veneers are also stain-resistant, so they don’t get yellowed and discolored.
Pros of Dental Veneers
1. Easily Whiten Your Smile
Porcelain dental veneers are the easiest ways to whiten your smile. Traditional teeth whitening solutions can brighten your teeth for a limited period — the results of in-office teeth whitening usually dissipate after a few months. Furthermore, professional teeth whitening can’t brighten your smile if you have intrinsically discolored teeth. But porcelain dental veneers instantly brighten your smile, helping you achieve the precise shade of teeth you desire.
2. Fix Minor Cosmetic Problems
Porcelain dental veneers can fix numerous minor cosmetic problems simultaneously. If you have minor misalignment issues, chips and cracks, and a few stains, you don’t need multiple treatments to address all the concerns. One dental veneers process can conceal all of your cosmetic concerns, transforming the external appearance of your teeth. Furthermore, dental veneers provide instant results — you don’t need multiple sessions spaced months apart.
3. Replace Damaged Enamel
The enamel is the outermost layer of your tooth. It’s a translucent layer that makes your teeth appear white and bright. If the enamel is slightly damaged, you may notice chips, cracks, or stains on your teeth. Porcelain dental veneers essentially replace the damaged enamel. The dentist shaves the damaged enamel off your teeth and places the porcelain veneer, immediately replacing the damaged enamel.
4. Longer Lasting
Porcelain dental veneers produce results that last longer than numerous other cosmetic treatments, such as teeth whitening. If you get your teeth professionally whitened, the results will dissipate after a few months. However, the results of porcelain dental veneers last for 10 to 20 years, and there’s no risk of staining. You don’t need to avoid tea, coffee, and other beverages you enjoy.
5. Customization is Easier
Dental veneers are ideal for customization and shaping. Your dentist will carefully examine your teeth, facial shape, anatomy, and skin color to identify the ideal dental veneer shape and shade. Different people have teeth of different shapes. It might be tempting to get the whitest veneers available, but it’s more important to focus on a natural appearance. The dentist customizes the dental veneers for you.
6. Resistance to Stain
Porcelain is a completely stain-resistant material because it’s non-porous. Your teeth gradually become discolored because the enamel has pores that absorb color from different foods and beverages, especially tea and coffee. But porcelain is stain-resistant, which means it won’t become yellow and discolored. If you want to maintain eternally white teeth, porcelain dental veneers are ideal.
Cons of Dental Veneers
1. High Dental Veneers Cost
Dental Veneers can be fairly expensive, so the high cost might be a challenge for you. The cost of dental veneers depends on numerous factors, including the type of veneers, the number of veneers, the location of the affected teeth, the material chosen, and other factors. Dental veneers are particularly inaccessible to some people because they’re not covered by dental insurance since they’re cosmetic procedures, so you have to pay out of pocket.
2. Increased Sensitivity
Some patients report increased sensitivity after the dental veneers procedure. You may experience sensitivity because the dentist shaves off some of the enamel from the surface of your teeth to accommodate the veneers, reducing the barrier between the outside elements and your nerves. However, the sensitivity only lasts for a few days, following which you won’t even feel the dental veneers.
3. Irreversibility
To get porcelain dental veneers, you need to have your enamel removed. The dentist shaves a few millimeters off your enamel to accommodate the dental veneers. That means you will always need dental veneers, and there’s no way to reverse the procedure. If you’re getting dental veneers, you need to be 100% sure about your decision. There’s no turning back once your enamel is removed.
4. Limited Durability
Dental veneers are extremely durable, but there are some limitations. Porcelain comes closest to natural enamel in terms of durability and strength. But it has a slightly higher risk of chipping or cracking because of extreme bite force and pressure. You must avoid using your teeth to open bottle caps or bite hard objects, like ice cubes and hard candy. If you’re not careful, your porcelain dental veneer might get chipped or cracked.
Dental Veneers Near Me in Houston
URBN Dental is one of the most reliable cosmetic dental clinics in Houston, with state-of-the-art offices in Midtown Houston, Uptown Houston, and Montrose. If you want to conceal all of your dental cosmetic concerns at once, you might be the ideal candidate for porcelain dental veneers. Our cosmetic dentists use their keen artistic sensibilities and technical capabilities to provide the best dental veneers for you. Please schedule an appointment to explore your dental veneer options in Houston.