If you’re looking for a dentist that does dental veneers or are in the process of deciding if you should get veneers, this article can help you communicate confidently with your dentist.
Preparing the Teeth for Dental Veneers
Before dental veneers can be placed, a layer of the tooth’s enamel has to be removed. Here are the steps your cosmetic dentist may take:
- A local anesthetic is administered to ensure the dental veneer treatment is painless.
- The dentist shaves off some enamel on the front-facing part of the tooth — only fractions of a millimeter. The goal is to get an even surface while not exposing the dentin, since exposed dentin can lead to tooth sensitivity.
- The sides of the teeth and biting surface of the tooth are also prepared. This allows the veneer to encase the prepared tooth from all sides but the back, making placement predictable, more secure, and aesthetically pleasing.
Taking Impressions and Placing Temporary Veneers
After the teeth are cut down to the desired shape, the dentist takes an impression so that the dental lab can create perfectly matching custom veneers. The dentist also uses the impressions to create temporary dental veneers that the patient walks out of the office with. These temporaries are cemented on with a simple adhesive to make removal easy when it comes time for the final procedure.
Placing the Final Dental Veneers
Once the dental lab delivers the final custom-made veneers: the dentist tests them on the model, the patient comes in for their appointment, temporary veneers are removed, the teeth are etched for better adhesion, the veneers are cemented on and hardened with a curing light, and all surfaces are polished to a smooth sheen. With that, the treatment is complete and the patient has a brand new smile. If you are interested in one of the cosmetic dentists at Dental Town DC doing your dental veneer treatment, we’d be happy to schedule you for a cosmetic dentistry consultation.