Are dental veneers worth it? Many Australians consider this cosmetic dental procedure a game-changer that conceals their teeth’s imperfections, helps achieve the perfect, radiant smile, and boosts long-term confidence.
You may be considering dental veneers Gold Coast to achieve these goals. This blog will delve deeper into their pros and cons, empowering you to take charge of your dental health and make sound, long-term decisions for your peace of mind.
What Are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin, customised caps or coverings that fit over the teeth’s front surface. Manufacturers construct them using tooth-coloured composite or porcelain.
Please don’t confuse veneers with dental crowns. The former covers only the tooth’s front surface, while the latter covers the entire tooth to strengthen and protect it.
Veneers conceal various aesthetic flaws, including chips, cracks, gaps, and tooth discolouration, protect enamel, and improve patients’ smiles. On the other hand, dental crowns’ primary objective is repairing badly damaged teeth caused by decay or trauma.
The three types of dental veneers include the following:
- Composite veneers: These prosthetic devices made of tooth-coloured composite resin hide mild cosmetic defects, including discolouration, cracks, minor gaps, or uneven teeth.
- Porcelain veneers: This custom-fit restorative material addresses dental imperfections, including chips, cracks, gaps, mild misalignments, or enamel defects. Your practitioner will remove some enamel to roughen the tooth surface and ensure your dental veneers latch securely.
- No-prep veneers: As the term implies, these veneers require less enamel removal than other veneer types. They suit patients who prefer a minimally invasive procedure to improve their smiles.
These veneers conceal small gaps, mild discolouration, slightly misshapen teeth, and minor chips.
- Removable veneers: Also known as pop-on or snap-on veneers, these custom-made shells act like retainers, which patients can remove at any time. Although they can improve your smile, they may hinder speech and eating.
Remember, your Robina dentist is your best resource for understanding your options. Don’t hesitate to seek his advice on whether dental veneers are the appropriate intervention for your situation.
Dental Veneer Care Tips
Dentists recommend regular brushing, flossing, and scheduling check-ups to maintain dental veneers. As Robina’s trusted dental professionals, we highly recommend using a soft-bristled toothbrush and non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste. Please avoid whitening solutions, which can damage your dental veneers.
Biting hard or crunchy foods such as carrots, celery, apples, cucumbers, nuts, seeds, chips, breadsticks, breadsticks, and tough meats can shorten dental veneers’ lifespan. Please cut them into smaller pieces and chew them with molars instead of incisors.
Dark-coloured foods and drinks such as berries, red wine, coffee, and tea may stain your dental veneers. Please minimise your consumption of these.
Dental Veneer Pros
The advantages of dental veneers include the following:
- Enhanced smiles: Dental veneers improve smiles by concealing flaws, such as stains, gaps, cracks, chips, and discolouration. They can adjust tooth shape and size and match teeth colours, contributing to a radiant smile.
- Fast results: Some dental processes require several visits that take weeks or months to finish. For instance, teeth whitening takes up to ten sessions before patients achieve optimum results.
On the other hand, dental veneers help patients conceal flaws and improve smiles in less time. Your practitioner will require only three to four visits, including the initial consultation and customised dental veneer placement. These restorative devices allow patients to achieve a mesmerising smile.
- Natural appearance: Despite dental veneers’ porcelain composition, their strikingly natural appearance appeals to many patients.
Porcelain reflects light similarly to natural teeth. Dental veneers reveal the natural yellow dentin layer to make your teeth appear authentic. Hence, these prosthetic devices are an excellent alternative for people who want natural smiles without undergoing complex dental procedures.
- Stain resistance: Dental veneers resist stains and discolouration from food and drinks, allowing users to achieve a natural smile and boost their confidence.
Please remember that porcelain isn’t 100% stain-resistant. However, proper, consistent oral care, including regular brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups, can help you preserve a natural, radiant smile longer.
- Versatility: Dental veneers’ versatility allows them to improve dental issues, including cracks, chips, gaps, discolouration, and misshaped or crooked teeth. These customised solutions can help patients address multiple challenges with only one solution.
- Enduring results: Porcelain veneers produce long-lasting results, typically seven to fifteen years. As Robina’s trusted professional dental service provider, we highly recommend replacing dental veneers every fifteen years to ensure longevity and optimum results.
- Affordability: Dental veneers are a cost-effective, affordable intervention that offers excellent value for money. Although veneers aren’t cheap, many dental clinics sell them at reasonable rates nationwide. Since veneers produce results that last longer than other dental interventions, such as teeth whitening, you will receive a considerable return on investment.
- Low-maintenance: Dental veneers only need regular brushing, flossing, and check-ups to maintain. We also recommend replacing them every fifteen years to achieve optimum results.
- Resilient: Manufacturers use premium, robust ceramic to create porcelain veneers that withstand cracking, chipping, and wear and tear. Conversely, composite veneers can endure regular biting movements.
- Minimally invasive: Dental veneers require only enamel removal and latching them onto the teeth. Manufacturers customising veneers in a lab is the lengthiest step.
Many dentists don’t require anaesthesia for most dental veneer procedures. However, individuals with sensitive teeth may require an anaesthetic to make them feel comfortable.
Dental Veneer Cons
The disadvantages of dental veneers include the following:
- Sensitivity: Your practitioner will remove a thin enamel layer before attaching dental veneers to your teeth. This step may make your teeth more sensitive to hot and cold foods. Please remember that the thickness of the veneers cannot offset this sensitivity.
- Possible damage: Most veneers are durable but can crack or chip. The composite version can also sustain these damages and stain.
We recommend using molars when chewing hard, crunchy foods such as carrots, celery, and tough meats. Slice them into smaller pieces for best results.
Please avoid the following habits to prevent veneer damage:
- Chewing hard objects.
- Biting one’s fingernails.
- Night teeth grinding.
- Playing sports without a mouth guard.
- Less lasting than some procedures: Crowns and bridges can outlast veneers. Chewing hard foods inappropriately, grinding, clenching, and biting teeth with fingernails can significantly shorten veneers’ lifespan. We encourage patients who grind their teeth at night to wear a resilient mouth guard while sleeping.
Conclusion
Dental veneers are a cost-effective intervention that conceals flaws, including gaps, chips, discolouration, and cracks. Their fast results, stain resistance, natural appearance, durability, enduring results, and low-maintenance features make them an efficient dental strategy for correcting imperfections and achieving a radiant smile.
However, veneers aren’t perfect. They can result in tooth sensitivity and provide less lasting results than other dental procedures. Inappropriate care and certain habits can also compromise their durability.
The pros of veneers far outweigh their costs. For this reason, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with your dentist, who can make the proper recommendations for your unique situation. Do you have dental issues that may require veneers? As Robinat’s trusted dental professionals, we’re here to help. Please contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our qualified dentists, who can create a suitable intervention strategy.