Things You Didn’t Know about Dental Veneers 

confident smile

Dental veneers are a type of cosmetic dental treatment that are used to improve the overall look of your smile. Applied to only the fronts of the teeth, they can hide imperfections or small issues with the enamel, such as staining, chips, cracks or even gaps. Before you decide whether dental veneers are the right option for you, consider these six little-known facts about the treatment.

You Can Choose to Treat One or Multiple Teeth

Some people mistakenly think that veneers are solid pieces of plastic that are slapped across the fronts of all of your upper and lower teeth. In actuality, each veneer is a separate piece of composite or porcelain that is specifically designed to fit the unique shape of your teeth. Veneers can be used on multiple teeth or on just one tooth depending on your needs. If you are choosing veneers to correct one chipped tooth, a single veneer may be all that is needed.

You Can Try a Temporary Version

Before you commit to the final version of your veneers, you should have ample opportunity to decide if you are happy with how they look. Your dentist will let you wear a temporary version if you like for a week or two. When you come back, you can tell your practitioner anything that you did or did not like, and he or she can make small changes as necessary.

You Will Need More than One Appointment

According to SF dentists at Union Square Dental, getting dental veneers is not a short process. You will have at least two appointments and may need more if you try out a temporary version. At the first appointment, your practitioner will discuss what you want and will drill a minuscule amount of enamel off the front of each tooth to be treated to create room for the veneers in your mouth. He or she will then make molds. At your last appointment, the veneers will be fitted to your teeth and bonded in place. This may take several hours.

You Cannot Have Perfectly White Teeth

You may be choosing to get veneers to get perfectly white teeth as you see on movie stars. However, you should be aware that no one’s teeth are perfectly white. Most teeth have a yellow or gray tone to them. Your dentist will help you choose the right color based on your skin tone.

You Are Making a Permanent Decision

Veneers should be seen as permanent choices because once your enamel is removed to make space for the veneers, it can never be replaced again. However, most veneers only last 10 to 15 years if you take good care of them. Therefore, you should plan to have them replaced at least once or twice in your lifetime.

You Can Look Totally Natural

Unlike your initial impression of dental veneers, you should know that these can look completely natural in your mouth. The key is to choose an experienced dentist who can help you match your veneers to your facial shape, skin tone and existing teeth. This will give you a completely believable smile.

As you can see, dental veneers definitely offer you a great way to improve your smile and feel great about your looks. It is vital that you choose an experienced cosmetic dentist because this is as much of an art form as it is a science-backed treatment. Be sure to ask any other questions that you have prior to your first appointment because this is a permanent solution that you will need to live with for the rest of your life.