Going over porcelain veneers before and after images of real patients enables one to determine if this mode of treatment is ideal for them.
But what exactly are porcelain veneers, and how can they be helpful to you? With many cosmetic dental restorative procedures available, you have to pick the one that matches your goals and can help you achieve them easily.
This post extensively takes you through porcelain veneers, helping you to determine if they are the right choice for you by examining:
- What porcelain veneers are and how they work;
- The benefits of porcelain veneers over other types of restorative procedures;
- Porcelain veneers before and after images.
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
A radiant smile is a powerful asset, exuding confidence and leaving a lasting impression. Porcelain veneers have revolutionized cosmetic dentistry, offering a transformative solution for individuals seeking to enhance their smiles.
But what are dental veneers? You may ask.
Generally, veneers are thin layers of shells adhered to the outer surface of the tooth. They can be used to improve the shape, position, color, or overall appearance of the teeth. Porcelain veneers are made from a durable and stain-resistant material known as dental porcelain.
Porcelain veneers closely resemble the natural color and appearance of the tooth enamel. This means when wearing them, it would be quite difficult for someone to distinguish them from natural teeth.
Besides porcelain veneers, there are also composite veneers that you can get from the dentist. However, you can also check out other dental veneer brands you can get without going to the dentist.
Dental Issues You Can Resolve Using Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are quite versatile as they can be used to conceal dental imperfections to enhance one’s oral aesthetics. Here are some of the most common issues that can be resolved using porcelain veneers:
- Discoloration: Porcelain veneers conceal stains on teeth, giving you a fresher, brighter, and whiter smile.
- Teeth gapping: People with gaps or spaces between teeth often have self-consciousness issues. However, you can conceal the gaps using porcelain veneers and get a much more pleasing dental structure.
- Chipped or cracked teeth: Minor tooth cracks or chips resulting from accidents or trauma can damage one’s smile and overall appearance. However, using porcelain veneers, you can conceal these imperfections and regain your beautiful smile.
- Uneven teeth: Teeth that are uneven in size or shape can affect your overall smile appearance. Dentists can shape and contour porcelain veneers to create better proportions and a more pleasing dental alignment.
There are cheap veneers options that you can consider for uneven teeth as the other solutions like orthodontics, and other restorative treatments might be quite pricey.
Benefits of Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers generally improve one’s self-confidence and overall appearance. They are a popular cosmetic option thanks to their ease of getting, maintenance, and convenience.
Here are a few other benefits of porcelain veneers:
- Enhanced aesthetics: The primary reason to go for porcelain veneers is to improve the aesthetics of your smile. These veneers are designed to match the natural color and appearance of your natural teeth.
- Versatility: Porcelain veneers are quite versatile in their application as they can effectively conceal dental imperfections like cracks, chips, and gaps, among other minor dental misalignments.
- Durability: Porcelain veneers can help to conceal minor dental imperfections and can last you several years, up to a decade, if well-taken care of.
- Minimally invasive procedures: Porcelain veneers procedures involve a fairly simple process that is minimally invasive compared to other treatments like dental implants. Dentists only have to remove a small amount of enamel from the surface of the teeth to accommodate and bond the enamel.
How to Get Porcelain Veneers
Getting porcelain veneers is a pretty simple process. While you can easily get over-the-counter veneers by ordering them online or from your local stores, this route is generally not recommended.
There are many reasons behind this. However, getting veneers from your dentist carries various benefits, including:
- You get custom-made veneers that closely resemble your natural teeth;
- The use of safe materials and procedures when getting the veneers.
Nevertheless, getting porcelain veneers from your dentist is also pretty straightforward. Here are the simple steps to undertake when getting veneers from your dentist:
- Consultation: During your initial consultation with the dentist, you can discuss your goals and overall expectations from the treatment. The dentist thereafter examines your teeth and evaluates your oral health to determine if porcelain veneers suit you.
- Treatment planning: If the dentist determines you are an ideal candidate for porcelain veneers, they will create a customized treatment plan for you based on your unique needs. This includes determining the total number of veneers needed, including the shape and shade of the veneers.
- Tooth preparation: When getting porcelain veneers, the dentist removes a small amount of enamel from the surface of the affected teeth. This is done to ensure an excellent fit. The process is pretty simple and pain-free, as local anesthesia is used to maximize comfort. However, it is important to note that the process is irreversible, meaning your teeth after veneers removed, will not go back to how they were.
- Taking of impressions: Once the teeth have been prepared and a small amount of enamel has been removed, the dentist thereafter takes impressions of your teeth. They send these impressions to the lab to act as a blueprint for creating the custom veneers.
Installing temporary veneers: Your dentist can install temporary veneers as you await the permanent custom-made veneers. - Bonding: You will get back to the dentist for the bonding procedure once the custom porcelain veneers are ready. They will make any necessary adjustments to your teeth to ensure a perfect fit and a natural appearance.
With proper care and maintenance, you can enjoy a more aesthetically-pleasing smile for many years.
Nevertheless, it would be prudent to note that while porcelain veneers can significantly boost your smile, they are merely a cosmetic solution and cannot treat any underlying dental concerns.
Porcelain Veneers Before and After Pictures
Are porcelain veneers ideal for you? How will your smile transform when using porcelain veneers?
Here are a few cases of patients that have used porcelain veneers to get a better and more aesthetically pleasing smile:
Uneven Teeth
If you have uneven teeth caused by various factors, porcelain veneers can provide a quick fix to conceal the imperfections. Here’s a quick video showing how porcelain veneers can drastically
Case 1: This patient was concerned with the wear on her teeth caused by constant grinding. With porcelain veneers, she regained a much more youthful and beautiful smile.
Credits to Smiles NY Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry
Case 2: Due to extreme wear and missing natural teeth, this patient needed to regain his self-confidence, as he was almost giving up on his smile. The dentists worked closely with him to transform his smile using porcelain veneers. The patient was able to regain his smile back, thanks to the results of the veneer treatment.
Credits to Smiles NY Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry
Case 3: This man was quite unhappy with the appearance of his smile, especially on the upper front teeth, which were severely twisted, crowded, and stained.
While the dentists recommended orthodontic treatment, the patient opted for veneer treatment, which gave him a much better smile as per the results in the ‘after treatment’ picture.
Credits to 75 Harley Street Specialist Dental Practice
Case 4: This is a case of a 39-year-old lady that was quite concerned about her appearance due to the nature of her work. Although she was offered orthodontic treatment, she opted for dental veneers, which could provide her with much faster results.
After an in-depth preparation, the dentists treated her ten upper teeth with porcelain veneers. The results would be well-aligned teeth that gave her a more youthful and attractive smile.
Credits to 75 Harley Street Specialist Dental Practice
Cracked or Chipped Teeth
Porcelain veneers can help in resolving chips or cracks on teeth. Here’s a quick video that provides more context:
Case 1: This patient had visible chipped and cracked teeth on his front upper teeth. He received porcelain veneers on the upper front teeth to even out his smile and enhance his oral aesthetics.
Credits to Dr. Dani B, Cosmetic Dentist
Case 2: This patient had a severely chipped upper incisor resolved using porcelain veneers.
Credits to Riverside Dental Care
Case 3: This patient has a visibly chipped incisor, which the dentists resolved using porcelain veneers.
Credits to Philly Dentistry
Discoloration
Case 1: This patient had a severe case of stained teeth, which were resolved through porcelain veneers. The patient ended up with brightly colored teeth, hence elevating their smile.
Credits to Dr. Dani B Cosmetic Dentist
Case 2: Teeth whitening and ten porcelain veneers were used to create a much brighter and more youthful appearance on this patient.
Credits to 75 Harley Street
Case 3: This patient disliked his smile due to the tetracycline stains on his teeth. The patient got porcelain veneer treatment, where he got pearly white teeth, enabling him to regain his confidence.
Credits to Lakefront Family Dental
Teeth Gapping
Porcelain veneers can be used for closing up gaps in teeth. Here’s a quick video showcasing how these products are used to close up the gaps:
Case 1: This patient had very visible gaps in his teeth, especially on the diastema. Dentists resolved the condition using porcelain veneers, which closed up the gap and gave him a much more aligned smile.
Credits to Dentistry by Dr. Sferlazza
Case 2: This patient had gapping on both the upper and lower teeth. Although orthodontic treatment resolves the underlying concerns, it takes long. By opting for porcelain veneers as the ideal solution for closing up the gaps, the patient was able to enjoy their newly-found perfect smile and aligned teeth in no time.
Case 3: This patient wanted to get rid of the gaps on the upper front teeth, so they resolved to porcelain veneers. Although additional treatments were also involved, such as whitening, filling the gap between teeth took only 5 working days, and the patient was happy with the end results.
FAQ
Porcelain veneers can last 10 to 15 years or even longer with proper care and maintenance.
There is no specific "best" age to get porcelain veneers. The suitability of veneers depends on individual dental concerns and oral health. Generally, individuals who have completed their dental growth and have stable oral health are good candidates for porcelain veneers.
The main disadvantage of porcelain veneers is the fact that they do not resolve the underlying dental concerns but conceal them. Moreover, the procedure of getting porcelain veneers involves an irreversible process, meaning you must be all in for the treatment before getting it.
Before and after pictures are valuable tools in porcelain veneer treatments as they allow individuals to visually see the transformative effects of the treatment and understand the potential outcomes.
While before and after pictures can provide a general idea of what can be achieved with porcelain veneers, it's important to remember that each individual's case is unique.
The results may vary depending on factors such as the initial condition of the teeth, the skills of the dentist, and individual oral health.
