Porcelain Dental Veneers For A Great Looking Smile in Burton!

This semi-permanent restoration is a great route to a beautiful smile.

There was a time when people would go to the dentist for a filling, an extraction and possibly have their teeth straightened. For most people, dentistry was largely about avoiding toothache and hoping to keep as many teeth as possible for as long as possible. While preventative and restorative dentistry is still an important part of the services that we offer at SG Dental and Implant Centre, people are increasingly coming to us to find out ways that they can improve their smile.

There are a lot of things that can happen to teeth which cause them to look less attractive than they used to. One of the most common problems is caused by staining or discolouration. Even the warmest of smiles won’t be able to disguise the fact that they are lacking in the whiteness that they used to have. There are two main cosmetic dentistry treatments that we offer at our Burton dental practice that can help with this. They are teeth whitening and dental veneers.

A choice of treatments

There are pros and cons to both of these treatments and your decision will probably depend on how badly stained your teeth are and also the advice that you receive from our dentists.  Both methods are excellent for creating a brighter whiter smile but veneers do have one specific advantage over the teeth whitening procedure.

The teeth whitening procedure is very effective but, although the effects remain for a period of time, they will gradually fade away. For some patients, this isn’t an issue. For example, someone getting married might want to look their very best for their big day and a well timed teeth whitening procedure can really achieve this. For those who want to have a long lasting smile without the need to keep coming back for ‘top up’ treatments, dental veneers are probably the best way to go.

What are veneers?

Think of veneers as being similar to a false fingernail for a very basic explanation. They are more sophisticated than this of course and not only improve the appearance of your teeth but can protect them too if you have worn or thinning enamel, or have cracks and chips on the teeth. Any of these could potentially lead to you having sensitive teeth so veneers can offer a double benefit for these patients.

The veneers themselves are made of porcelain and are shaped in the size and style of your natural tooth. This is done through taking scans and x-rays so that the dental laboratory that we use to make high quality dental veneers can produce ones that fit in well with your natural appearance. In most cases this will be done after we remove a fine layer of the discoloured enamel from the front of the affected teeth. The veneers will be made in exactly the same thickness so that they both appear and feel quite natural.

Fitting the veneers

Once we have removed the layer of enamel from the tooth, we will provide you with some temporary veneers while your final ones are being produced. This is to protect your teeth for the duration. You should generally only have to wear these for a week or two before your final ones arrive back at our Burton clinic. Once they have done so, you will be recalled to have them fitted.

There is usually no need for any local anaesthetic to fit the veneers as this is done by attaching them with a special dental adhesive.  This is an important point, as, very rarely, veneers can ‘pop’ off, especially if you bite fingernails etc. Although this is unlikely to happen, if it does, you should never re-attach them yourself. Some glues contain ingredients which are potentially harmful for your teeth and may even result in permanent and possibly painful damage. In the unlikely event of detachment, please call us to have them re-fitted professionally.

Once the new veneers have been attached, they will be trimmed and polished to make them look natural and to provide you with the great looking white smile that you dreamt of.

Once fitted, veneers can last in the region of ten years before they need to be replaced. This simply involves removing the old ones, cleaning any remaining adhesive from the teeth and re attaching them as before. No invasive procedures should be necessary if you have looked after your teeth as you should.

Although your veneers are made from porcelain, a material that doesn’t stain easily and can’t decay, you should still remember to brush them and floss between them. This will not only help them to remain looking their best but will help to prevent tooth decay on the remaining natural part of the tooth. If cavities do form in this part of the tooth, the veneer may become less secure and potentially even become detached from the tooth. This may involve restoring the tooth before taking scans for a new veneer as the old one will most likely no longer fit securely.

In most cases, patients that have this procedure done are delighted with the results and if you are hoping to attain a whiter and brighter smile, this may be the way to go for you. If you would like to find out more about porcelain veneers and wish to discuss this with our cosmetic dentistry team, please call SG Dental and Implant Centre for an initial consultation on 01283 845345.