Everyone wants to have a healthy, attractive smile. Maybe in pursuit of a better smile, you’ve tried things like whitening toothpaste or even opted for a dentist to do teeth whitening on you. But still, you feel like your teeth don’t look their best and wonder if there’s something more you can do.
It turns out there is another step you can take in the pursuit of healthier and more attractive teeth — porcelain veneers. In this blog, Dr. Thomas Sokoly of Sokoly Dental explains more about veneers and the conditions they can help treat.
Dental veneers are wafer-thin sheets of porcelain placed over the front of your natural teeth. Because they’re so thin, they feel comfortable in your mouth. We do have to shave off a small amount of your original teeth to make sure that your veneers fit in a way that feels natural, but the integrity of your teeth is not compromised.
Once you have veneers placed in your mouth, you can still eat and drink normally, and you should brush and floss normally as well. With proper dental hygiene, most veneers last for 10 to 15 years.
One of the best benefits of veneers is that you can significantly whiten your smile, even well beyond the results of professional teeth whitening. While you can choose to get veneers that match your current tooth color, you can also go several shades lighter.
This can be a more significant issue than just one of wanting to look more attractive, though. Veneers can hide discolorations and persistent stains in your teeth. You can smooth over the parts of your smile that have always made you feel self-conscious about the way you look.
If you have significant gaps between your teeth, it probably makes you feel self-conscious, too. While gaps are usually harmless, they can be visually unappealing and may cause bite problems. You may have wondered about whether you can even fix those gaps, short of wearing braces or Invisalign®. The answer is that you can — with veneers.
Veneers cover over gaps and spaces between teeth very well. It’s much less of a commitment than braces or Invisalign too, which usually take at least a year to produce results. Applying veneers is a relatively quick procedure, and then you get to reap their benefits for years to come.
Your tooth enamel is strong, but it’s possible for it to get damaged. Most often, enamel damage is caused by acids left on your teeth for too long, whether from regularly eating or drinking acidic foods and beverages, from acid reflux, or from bacterial growth.
Eroded enamel can cause tooth sensitivity, especially sensitivity to hot and cold. Veneers cover over this erosion, making the sensitivity go away.
Veneers can also address many other orthodontic problems that might seem difficult, if not completely impossible, to fix. These include:
While dental veneers are an excellent way to resurface your teeth and give you a smile that you’re proud to show, you do have to continue to maintain good dental hygiene. It’s still possible to get cavities in teeth that have veneers if you don’t.
Veneers are one of the best and least invasive ways to fix the imperfections in your smile. If you would like to talk to Dr. Sokoly about veneers, call our office at 202-280-2428, or request an appointment online.
