Porcelain Veneers
Veneers are perfect for improving the appearance of discoloured, stained, chipped, worn, filled, and mildly crowded or spaced front teeth. Our Kenmore dentist Dr Rachel Hall has taken additional post-graduate training in dental veneers and cosmetic dentistry to enhance your smile.
Veneers are a simple, fast and painless way to enhance your smile so your teeth can become movie star perfect in two dental visits. And if you don’t want movie star perfect that’s ok because we can make your teeth look natural and healthy using veneers too.
A substantial cosmetic improvement can be obtained quickly and easily with veneers. The process involves minimal tooth preparation as dental veneers are made from a thin layer of synthetic material (porcelain or composite) that is bonded to the tooth’s surface.
Veneers can be used to improve the appearance of spaces between the teeth, broken or chipped teeth, permanently stained or discoloured teeth, crooked or misshapen teeth and more without having to undergo complex and long courses of corrective dental treatment.
Dr Rachel Hall, Brisbane Holistic Dentist, is a dental expert with 30 years experience. She has extensive experience in providing holistic dentistry, safe amalgam removal, and cosmetic dental services.
We offer state of the art technology and dentistry with a difference where your total health is as important as your smile.
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Veneers are often referred to as “Instant Orthodontics”. Think you need braces? Not always as a substantial aesthetic effect can be obtained with a veneer and minimal tooth preparation is required. No need to go through months of teeth straightening to improve the look of your teeth when veneers can do it in two visits.
Veneers are a great alternative to otherwise painful, complex and long-winded dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.
Common problems that Veneers will address:
- Spaces between the teeth
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Permanently stained or discoloured teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
- Worn teeth
- Teeth with mismatched fillings
Veneers are thin, custom-made tooth-coloured shells that are bonded to the front surface of teeth. They are considered a cosmetic treatment, and mimic the appearance of natural teeth whilst improving their colour, shape, size or length
Visit # 1
Veneer Preparation: The teeth are prepared by removing 0.3 to 0.5 mm of enamel (the thickness of a fingernail) to allow room for the veneer layer. Depending on the shape and position of your teeth veneers can be made with little to no tooth preparation. An impression of the teeth is taken and sent to a specialised dental laboratory that will create the veneers.
Visit #2
Veneer Bonding: Attaching the veneer to the tooth. After cleaning of the tooth surface with special primers the veneer is bonded to the tooth with a veneer dental cement designed to optimise the cosmetic end result of your veneer. This dental cement is then hardened with an ultra violet light and your veneer is bonded in place.
The price of dental veneers will be influenced by several factors, including the type of veneer (porcelain or composite) and how many teeth require veneers. Porcelain veneers can cost up to $1,995 per tooth. The price of composite veneers can be up to $860 per tooth. With Evolve Dental Kenmore, we offer cosmetic smile makeover packages to help you save off the price of dental veneers.
Dental veneers are popular for restoring the strength and appearance of teeth that may be:
- Crooked
- Poorly shaped
- Gapped
- Discoloured
- Chipped or worn
- Cracked or broken
Veneers can be applied in a simple procedure that only requires a few visits and involves no major surgery. The procedure for a veneer may involve the following steps:
Diagnosis: You should first have a consultation an Evolve Dental Kenmore dentist where you discuss your desired results and your treatment options. During the appointment, your dentist may take x-rays or impressions of your mouth and teeth.
Preparation: At your next appointment, the dentist will trim approximately ½ millimetre of enamel off your tooth before making an impression of your tooth. Options such as local anaesthetic can be used to reduce any discomfort and numb the area.
Creation: 2 – 4 weeks after your impression is sent off to the dental lab, you will receive your newly constructed veneers. While you wait for your permanent teeth to be created, you can also ask your dentist about tooth coloured temporary resin veneers.
Bonding Placement: In order to prepare your tooth to receive the veneer, the dentist will clean, polish, and etch your tooth. Roughening the surface of your tooth by etching helps to strengthen the bonding.
Placement: Your dentist will then apply a special cement to the veneer before placing it on your tooth. Once it is in the correct position, your veneer will be photopolymerised. A particular light beam is used to activate the chemicals in the cement, which causes the cement to harden quickly and finalise the bonding of the veneer to your tooth.
There are two main types of dental veneers available: composite resin or porcelain. The best material for you to use for your veneers depends on your individual desires and budget.
Composite Resin Veneers
Composite resin veneers are usually placed on the tooth in just one appointment. Once the tooth has been reshaped for the veneer, the dentist bonds and shapes the composite material to best match your teeth. A special light is then used to harden the material and the veneer is smoothed to look like a natural tooth.
While these are a more affordable option than porcelain veneers, they last 4-8 years and require more maintenance as they are more prone to chipping and staining.
Porcelain Veneers
A more durable and longer-lasting option, porcelain veneers can last 10-25 years and rarely require maintenance. The dentist will make an impression of your prepared teeth and send them to a laboratory, where they can replicate the shape for your veneers.
Once they have been made, the dentist will ask you back to the practice so they can ensure the veneers are the perfect shape, fit and colour-match for your teeth. Dental cement is then used to bond the veneers to the teeth.
There are two main types of dental veneers available: composite resin or porcelain. The best material for you to use for your veneers depends on your individual desires and budget.
Composite Resin Veneers
Composite resin veneers are usually placed on the tooth in just one appointment. Once the tooth has been reshaped for the veneer, the dentist bonds and shapes the composite material to best match your teeth. A special light is then used to harden the material and the veneer is smoothed to look like a natural tooth.
While these are a more affordable option than porcelain veneers, they last 4-8 years and require more maintenance as they are more prone to chipping and staining.
Porcelain Veneers
A more durable and longer-lasting option, porcelain veneers can last 10-25 years and rarely require maintenance. The dentist will make an impression of your prepared teeth and send them to a laboratory, where they can replicate the shape for your veneers.
Once they have been made, the dentist will ask you back to the practice so they can ensure the veneers are the perfect shape, fit and colour-match for your teeth. Dental cement is then used to bond the veneers to the teeth.
Veneers are perfect for patients whose teeth are naturally yellow or have a grey cast and can’t achieve a white smile with bleaching. They are also a solution for patients suffering from a chip or crack in their tooth to repair the shape and protect the tooth from further problems. Veneers improve the appearance of teeth while also protecting and strengthening them.
If you are looking at porcelain veneers, you should have:
- Good gum/periodontal and oral health
- Proper oral care and hygiene, such as brushing and flossing daily
- A sufficient amount of healthy enamel on your tooth
It’s important to visit an exceptional dentist that provides a high-quality, reliable solution for your dental treatment. Poor quality veneers can often lead to costly maintenance and ongoing dentist visits, as well as more noticeable and less natural veneers. By visiting a highly-trained cosmetic dentist like Dr Rachel Hall Kenmore who has taken additional post-graduate training in dental veneers you are assured quality care and a great-looking result you’ll want to smile about.
Call us to book your dental veneer consultation 07 3720 1811
Once the enamel of the tooth has been reshaped and prepared for a dental veneer, this is irreversible. For this reason, some patients may like to consider alternative, less permanent treatments, such as teeth whitening or dental bonding.
If you are simply experiencing discolouration and you would like to brighten your smile, you may like to consider teeth whitening. In-practice teeth whitening products that are applied by a dental professional can give you fast results for a beaming smile.
Similar to dental veneers, dental bonding helps to improve the appearance of chipped or undesirably shaped teeth. While a roughing and shaping of your tooth is required, dental bonding is a reversible treatment.
It typically takes two visits to have veneers applied. The length of the visits will depend on how many veneers the patient chooses to have placed. There is often a waiting period of 2 – 4 weeks for patients to receive their new veneers from the dental lab.
Which veneer is best for you will depend on your budget, your desired results and your lifestyle. Both composite and porcelain veneers can offer a new, improved smile without complicated surgery.
Porcelain veneers have an uncanny ability to look almost indistinguishably life-like, mimicking your natural teeth. Porcelain veneers are known for their durability and resistance to stains, as they can last 10-15 years (or even longer) with proper care and regular dental check-ups.
However, porcelain veneers cost significantly more than composite. Porcelain veneers cost more because of the material used, and the time it takes to apply and create them.
Composite veneers can be bonded directly to the tooth in just one visit, while the overall fit, appearance and colour of porcelain veneers are custom-made by a dental technician in a laboratory. Unlike composite veneers, porcelain veneers cannot be repaired. If chipped or broken, they must be replaced.
The advantages of composite veneers include the significantly lower cost and the ability to be repaired. Composite veneers are roughly half the cost of porcelain veneers.
As with any dental treatment, there may be some discomfort during the procedure for porcelain veneers. You may experience some discomfort when the tooth enamel is removed, however the placement of both porcelain and composite veneers is typically pain-free. For porcelain veneers, your dentist will administer local anaesthetic to numb your tooth before removing any enamel.
Dental veneers are a popular choice due to their low maintenance and the need for relatively little changes to be made to the existing teeth. They generally require less removal of the tooth enamel than dental crowns, and good oral hygiene is the only maintenance required (unless chipping occurs) once they have been bonded to the teeth. Other benefits of veneers include:
- Improved self-esteem
- Enhanced self-confidence
- A lasting solution
- Low maintenance
- A natural-looking smile
- Pain-free treatment
- Strengthened tooth structure
The price of dental veneers can differ depending on several factors. Factors that can affect the cost of veneers can include which material you choose for your veneers and the location of the tooth receiving the veneer. For example, composite veneers are a more affordable option than porcelain veneers, and often having a veneer applied to a front tooth costs more than that of a less visible tooth. The location that you choose to receive treatment will also affect the cost of dental veneers.
Veneers will not damage or ruin your teeth if they are placed by an experienced dentist. Veneers can actually protect healthy teeth from wear and tear caused by grinding and erosion.
Most private health insurance will not cover veneers, as insurance typically doesn’t provide benefits for cosmetic dentistry. We can support you to discuss this with your fund and maximise any benefits that are available for your veneers treatment.
Proper daily oral hygiene habits, such as brushing and flossing, are necessary to maintain your veneers. Many dentists also suggest limiting coffee and other foods that can stain your teeth. Your dentist may suggest polishing your veneers to ensure both your veneers and teeth are thoroughly clean. If you play contact sports, you should protect your teeth by wearing a mouthguard.
With proper care, porcelain veneers will last at least 10 years and up to 12 – 25 years, while composite veneers last 4 – 8 years on average. No matter the material, veneers will need to be replaced at some point.
Veneers are bonded to the tooth structure permanently, so they cannot come off. Veneers have the same limits as real teeth. Anything that would break your natural teeth would break your veneers, such as a sports accident.
You can eat anything you normally would with veneers, however you should avoid certain foods if you are wearing temporary veneers, such as:
Hard food like ice, candy, and apples
Sticky food like taffy and other sweets
Crunchy food like nuts, seeds, and bread with a hard crust
