Ceramic
laminate veneers are thin ceramic shells, which fit precisely onto the
faces of anterior teeth. They match the adjoining teeth in colour and
shade and thereby look like natural teeth. Like bonding, veneers are
used to cover up discoloration (Tetracycline staining,Fluorosis), cracks
diastema's and chipping, and to change the shape or size of your teeth.
Veneers out perform bonding with greater resilience and like ceramic
crowns have a greater resistance to stains and dulling.
Ceramic laminate veneer procedures are exacting, but their results can
be extremely worthwhile. Stronger and longer lasting than composite
resin restorations, they are the current state-of-the-art procedure to
restore and beautify your smile. Patient compliance is a must for
veneers and one should follow instructions of the dentist, especially
with regard to biting habits.
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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 required a local anesthetic. In this appointment, an
impression is taken, a model is prepared which, along with accompanying
photos, is sent to the lab for fabrication of porcelain (ceramic)
shells, which resembles false finger- nails fit on to your teeth. This
can take about a week. Because the teeth are buffed or reduced, they
will look a little different till the veneers are placed. A temporary
veneer can be placed, at an additional cost if one want to remain
looking normal during the intervening period of two visits.
Bonding of veneers: First, the dentist places the veneers with
water or glycerine on the teeth to check the fitting and get a sense of
the shade or color. While the veneers are resting on the teeth, the
esthetic results are viewed with particular attention to the colour. At
this point, the colour of the veneers can still be adjusted with the
shade of the cement to be used. The colour 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 cement is placed
between the veneer and tooth, a light beam initiates the release of a
catalyst to harden the cement.
For about a week or two, the patient may go through a period of
adjustment as he/she gets used to the "new" teeth that have been changed
in size and shape. Brushing and flossing is to be done daily, as
usual. After one or two weeks, there is a follow-up appointment.
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| Porcelain ( Ceramic) veneers (Advantages)
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The biggest advantage of a veneer is that too little
tooth material is removed and hence won't weaken the tooth structure. It
is also rightly called as "CLONED ENAMEL"
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| How Realistic Are The Expectations?
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Porcelain veneers are reasonable fascimiles of natural
teeth, not perfect replacements. It's not uncommon to see slight
variations in the colour of porcelain veneers upon close inspection, as
this occurs even in natural teeth. Nevertheless, this procedure can
greatly enhance the smile, and can heighten inner satisfaction and
self-esteem and definitely make one look more beautiful. |
