Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Porcelain Veneers

Bellevue Dentist Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain Veneers showing before and after creation of a new Beautiful Smile!

Bellevue Porcelain Veneers are also called dental veneers,porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates. They are one of cosmetic dentistry's more recent and successful developments. They are wafer-thin shells of porcelain which are bonded onto the front side of teeth and also cover the biting edge of the teeth. They can be an excellent cosmetic dental solution for a variety of problems including teeth that are stained, chipped, or slightly misaligned.

Porcelain Veneers are used for extreme makeovers in cosmetic dentistry everyday. Porcelain veneers are used to close gaps in teeth, fix chipped teeth, improve a gummy smile, lengthen short teeth, and generally improve your overall smile. Many Hollywood stars have porcelain veneers rather than traditional teeth whitening methods, because you can choose the shade and amount of whiteness that you want and they are resistant to staining. Bellevue Porcelain Veneers uses an on-site porcelain artist that will give you the whitest smile imaginable.

Porcelain Veneers Become Available

Bellevue Porcelain Veneers are the most recent application of the art and science of cosmetic dental bonding. For decades dentists have had available materials which can bond to tooth enamel. The porcelain veneer technique utilizes the bonding capabilities of these materials to securely attach a thin sheet of porcelain (the porcelain veneer) to an individual tooth. These veneers are attached so that they cover the front and the biting surfaces of the tooth that has the veneer. Although porcelain is inherently brittle, when it is firmly bonded to a sturdy substructure (a tooth) it becomes very strong and durable.

Porcelain Veneer Advantages

Two of the greatest advantages of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding are:

A) Bellevue Cosmetic Porcelain Veneers create a very life-like tooth appearance.

You might be surprised to learn that a major component of teeth is enamel, but teeth are not solid enamel. The enamel component of a tooth is actually only an outer shell. It is this cosmetic veneer that then becomes the permanent tooth covering shell. This veneer covering is not susceptible to dental decay.

B) Porcelain veneers resist staining.

Cosmetic dental bonding materials utilized in the past had the shortcoming of being susceptible to staining and discoloring. This was especially severe problem for people whose teeth had excessive exposure to tea, coffee, red wine, or cigarette smoking.

A significant advantage of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding is related to the fact that a porcelain veneer's surface is just that, porcelain. Since porcelain is a ceramic, or glass-like, its surface is extremely smooth and impervious so it will not pick up permanent stains.

Porcelain Veneers Additional Advantages

Porcelain veneers or porcelain laminates from your Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist can often be an effective method by which to make cosmetic changes to teeth that are chipped, worn, stained, crooked, or discolored. Please note that individual case selection is an extremely important factor in the success of this technique. Porcelain veneers cannot be utilized in every situation.

It is not always necessary to use these veneers on all of your teeth to obtain a beautiful smile. In some cases as many as 10 porcelain veneers may be needed. However, beautiful smiles can be accomplished with 4, 6 or 8 veneers. And in some cases only 1, 2 or 3 veneers maybe needed. At our Bellevue Dentistry office we have done many cases ranging from a single veneer to 10 veneers.

Only an examination by your cosmetic dentist can determine if porcelain veneers are an appropriate method by which to make the changes you desire. Even if porcelain veneers are not appropriate for your circumstances, your cosmetic dentist will most likely be able to suggest other treatment options that will yield suitable results.

One property of tooth enamel covering is that it's translucent. This means that when light strikes a tooth's surface it is not immediately reflected off, but instead penetrates into the thickness of the enamel. This light will subsequently be reflected off the non-translucent tooth structure beneath the enamel. This property of translucency is an important part of what gives teeth their characteristic appearance. Your Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist working with their porcelain artist will create this translucence in your porcelain veneers. This will translate into a strikingly beautiful smile.

Historically the cosmetic dental bonding materials dentists have had available to them were only semi-translucent. This means that most of the light striking the tooth did not penetrate into the bonding layer but instead was reflected off the bonded outer surface. The net result was that while the bonding did give the tooth an improved appearance, there was no sense of a tooth's characteristic translucency and ultimate beauty. Light striking a porcelain veneer will penetrate its thickness, and then subsequently be reflected back out once it has reached the opaque cement and tooth structure lying underneath the veneer. This translucency effect provides a sense of depth, and thus a very life-like appearance.

Porcelain Veneers Smiles

Patients usually need three appointments for the entire procedure when a porcelain artist is working with the cosmetic dentist: diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation, and bonding.

Diagnosis and treatment planning: It's critical that you take an active role in the smile design. Spend time in the decision-making and planning of your smile. Be sure that you understand the corrective limitations of the procedure. Have more than one consultation, if necessary, to feel comfortable that your dentist understands your objectives. See our previous article on how to choose a cosmetic dentist.

Preparation of teeth: This appointment will take two or more hours depending upon how many teeth are going have veneers on them. To prepare the teeth for the porcelain veneers, the teeth are lightly buffed to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer. Usually, about a half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which may require a local anesthetic. At this appointment, a mold is taken of the teeth, which is sent to a porcelain artist for the fabrication of the veneers. This can take about one to two weeks. Because the teeth are unsightly at this time, temporary veneers are placed over the prepared teeth. Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist temporary veneers will be of the highest quality and appearance and are included without any additional cost.

Porcelain Veneer Bonding: This appointment will take about one or three hours usually depending again upon the number of teeth receiving Porcelain Veneers from your Bellevue Dentist. First, the dentist places the veneers with water or glycerine on the teeth to check their fit and get a sense of the shade or color. While the veneers are resting on your teeth, view the esthetic results, and pay particular attention to the color. At this point, the color of the veneers can still be adjusted with the shade of the cement to be used. The color cannot be altered after veneers are cemented. To apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. Once a special light sensitive cement is placed between the veneer and tooth, and a visible light beam catalyzes the hardening of the cement.

Porcelain Veneer Maintenance

For about a week or two, you will go through a period of adjustment as you get used to your beautiful "new" teeth that have been changed in size and shape. Brush and floss daily. After one or two weeks, you'll return for a follow-up appointment for any final adjustments. Bellevue Dentists, Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Patricia Pauley, recommend the use of a night guard when you are sleeping to protect your beautiful new investment because about 80% of all people either grind or clench their teeth during the night while sleeping.