Porcelain Veneers FAQ's
Cosmetic Dentist in New York City
 How
is a veneer prepared?
There are several steps used to prepare a veneer. Click
here to learn more about the Step by Step process
What
makes CEREC veneers unique?
The CEREC System is unique in that the restorations are made
from start to finish in a single session, usually in about
one and a half hours (depending on the number of individual veneers that
are made). With CEREC, there's no need for us to take any messy
impressions and send them to a lab; our dentists are our own
“lab technicians”. All veneers are custom stained
and glazed to match the rest of your teeth.
We won't inconvenience you by asking you to return for a second
visit. The tooth is done right the first time, because you
are as much a participant in the restorative process
as is the doctor. Both you and the doctor work hand-in-hand in determining the perfect shape, shade, length, and
thickness of the veneer.
The
restoration is EXTREMELY natural looking, because it is made
of tooth-colored ceramic material. It's metal-free, which
eliminates any discolorations in your smile. The ceramic material
is compatible with tissue in your mouth and is high-grade,
anti-abrasive, and plaque-resistant. It allows us to be extremely
precise and save more of the healthy part of your tooth. CEREC
porcelain is very tooth-like. It is smoother than traditional
porcelains and does not cause as much wear to the opposing
teeth. CEREC restorations are more conservative than traditional
ones, preserving more of the natural tooth structure. X-rays
penetrate CEREC porcelain so the dentist can see any
problems in the underlying tooth,
if they develop.
What
are the advantages of CEREC veneers?
Completed in One Day: Perhaps the greatest advantage of
CEREC veneers is that they are done on our premises in the same
day, with no need for outside lab work and return visits. The veneers are custom
stained and glazed to match with high accuracy the exact
color of your other teeth, which makes these veneers practically
undetectable. Your teeth look natural and healthy - the veneers
are very thin and are held in place by a special strong
bond (rather like super-glue) and very little preparation
of the tooth is necessary.
Two
of the greatest advantages of porcelain veneers over other
types of cosmetic dental bonding are:
A)
Porcelain veneers create a very life-like tooth appearance.
You
might be surprised to learn that while a major component
of teeth is enamel, teeth are not solid enamel. The enamel
component of a tooth is actually only an outer shell.
 One
property of this 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 which
lies beneath the enamel. This property of translucency is
an important part of what gives teeth their characteristic
appearance.
Porcelain
veneers, because they are glass-like, have a great advantage
over other types of cosmetic dental bonding by the fact
that they are translucent. When they are bonded onto a tooth's
surface they mimic the light-handling characteristics of
enamel. 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.
Historically
the cosmetic dental bonding materials that 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
bonding's outer surface. The net result was that while the
bonding did give the tooth an improved appearance, there
was no sense of depth projected and no sense of a tooth's characteristic
translucency.
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
a problem for those 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,
and therefore glass-like, its surface is extremely smooth
and impervious. This means that the surface of a porcelain
veneer will not pick up permanent stain.
When
would I need a veneer?
Porcelain
veneers are an excellent alternative to crowns in many situations.
They provide a much more conservative approach to changing
a tooth's color, size, or shape. Porcelain veneers can mask
undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline,
by an injury, or as a result of a root-canal procedure, and
are ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth.
Veneers can also be used to close small gaps, when orthodontics
are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position,
a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with
the others.
What
should you do to take care of your porcelain veneers?
How long your porcelain veneers do last can depend a lot on
how you use and take care of them. Here are some suggestions:
- Practice
good oral home care. Just as with any tooth, your veneered
tooth should be brushed and flossed thoroughly on a daily
basis. Ask your dentist for specific recommendations but,
in general, any non-abrasive tooth paste which contains
fluoride should be suitable.
Good oral home care will help to minimize the chance of
decay forming on those parts of your tooth not covered by
the veneer. The porcelain itself wears as well or better
than your natural teeth. The bond between the porcelain
and the tooth is very strong. The porcelain is also immune
to decay, however, the uncovered part of the tooth is still
susceptible to decay. If you consume carbohydrates frequently
between meals, or if you do not floss and brush diligently,
you will have a greater chance of experiencing tooth
decay. If you
take excellent care of your teeth, the veneers will last
many long years.
In addition, proper plaque removal will help to insure
that the gum level on your tooth will not recede in response
to the presence of gum inflammation. In most cases the edges
of porcelain veneers end right at the gum line. If you allow
plaque to accumulate in this area your gums will quite possibly
recede, thus exposing non-veneered tooth structure. This
certainly might result in a less than ideal appearance.
If you do happen to notice that the gums become puffy or
begin to bleed around any of your veneers, or if you notice
an area that begins to snag floss, it's an indication that
something is amiss. Please make an appointment to have
your teeth cleaned and checked.
-
Avoid exposing your porcelain veneers to excessive forces.
Porcelain veneers are not designed to withstand excessive
forces or sharp impacts. You should avoid biting your finger
nails or biting on hair pins, bottles, ice, or any other
such hard items because doing so can break or dislodge a
veneer. If you engage in sports activities you should wear
a mouth protector.
- Avoid clenching and grinding your teeth. People who clench and grind their teeth (dentists use the
term "brux" for this activity) can easily break
their porcelain veneers because of the excessive forces
these actions create. If you know that you do brux, or if
your dentist finds evidence of your bruxism from the appearance
of your teeth, you must control this activity.
If you are a bruxer your dentist will most
likely want to fabricate a plastic night-guard for you
to wear, so you won't break your porcelain veneers while
you sleep.
- Minimize staining influences. Porcelain veneers themselves are a great improvement over
other types of cosmetic dental bonding by the fact that
their surface is resistant to staining. An Achilles heel
of porcelain veneer technique, however, is that the veneer
is bonded onto your tooth using cement which is capable
of staining. It is possible that, although your veneer itself
has a nice appearance, its edges, where the cement layer
exists, will have become discolored. Good home care, meaning
keeping plaque and debris from accumulating near the edge of your porcelain veneer, can help to minimize
the staining of the cement. Also, avoiding excessive exposure
to tea, coffee, red wine, and other "dark" foods
and beverages can help too.
- Minimize
sharp impacts. The veneers are not designed to withstand sharp impacts
and can fracture, just as your natural teeth can fracture.
Do not bite pins, nails, bottles, etc., and do not strike
them with hard objects. If you engage in contact sports,
wear a mouth protector.
 How
long do veneers last?
Veneers should last for many years, but they can chip or break,
just as your own teeth can. Because veneers are stronger than
simple bonding, they are also more resistant to stains and
chipping. There are no hard-and-fast rules about how long
porcelain veneers will last. While you can certainly expect
your veneers to last many years, it is unrealistic to expect
them to last forever. With good home care and by exercising
good judgment, it seems likely that a porcelain veneer could
last well in excess of ten to twenty years. Porcelain always
has the possibility of breaking if you hit or chew the wrong
thing with your tooth, however, in our experience, this is very rare
with veneers done in our office. To date, we have seen less
than a 1% chance over 15 years that a veneer that we have
prepared will chip or break.
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