It’s all too common for adults to be embarrassed by their smiles. Whether because of staining, crooked or chipped teeth, or large gaps between the teeth, it can be difficult to flash a confident smile. But it doesn’t have to be this way! At Grady Dental Care in Johns Creek and Cumming we can help you get the beautiful smile you deserve. Depending on your particular situation and expectations, our doctors may recommend dental veneers to help improve your smile.
What Are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin custom-made thin shells of porcelain that cover the front surface of your tooth to improve the appearance. We choose to use veneers if people are unhappy with the color, shape, size or even the orthodontic position of their teeth. The procedure is very conservative by nature, and enamel is removed only from the front surface of the tooth. That’s less than 1mm and the entire back side of the tooth remains untouched by the preparation.
There are many laboratories that custom fabricate veneers and Grady Dental Care has had a long relationship with Burbank Dental Lab, a facility located in California who’s ceramists are specially trained to make veneers for each case we send them. They use photographs, impressions, models of your mouth, a written prescription, and a phone consultation with the doctor to make sure the restorations will be as well-fitting and aesthetically pleasing as possible. Patients occasionally ask for “Lumineers” which is just a brand of porcelain that is used to fabricate the veneer.
Why Consider Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers can be used to fix many aesthetic issues. Some of the most common include:
- Discolored or stained teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
- Gaps between teeth
- Broken or chipped teeth
What to Expect with Dental Veneers?
If you’re interested in using dental veneers to improve your smile, you will likely need three visits to our office to complete the process.
The first visit will be a consultation where we will discuss with you the issues are having and the result you are trying achieve. We will examine your teeth to determine if dental veneers are the right choice for you and discuss next steps. At this time we may also take X-rays and/or make impressions of your mouth to aid in the consultation process.
The second visit will be to prepare your teeth for the veneers. We will need to remove about 1 mm of enamel from the tooth’s surface to compensate for the thickness of the veneer. Once the preparations are complete, we take a final impression which is sent to our lab to fabricate your veneers by hand. This may take 3 weeks to receive back, and during this time you will have temporary veneers in place that look great and are functional while we wait for the final product.
The third visit is when we apply the new veneers to your teeth taking care to make sure you and the Doctor are pleased with the result before they are cemented. The reason we use a high-end laboratory is their ability to produce a wonderful result each and every time and very seldom do we find something we are not happy with! Once we are ready to cement the teeth are cleaned and disinfected, then we apply cement and cure the material. After the veneers are placed we clean up any excess cement and evaluate your bite for any final adjustments. We may ask you to return in a couple weeks to monitor how your gums are responding to the veneers, and to examine their placement.
Dental Veneers at Grady Dental Care in Johns Creek and Cumming, GA
Achieving a confident smile doesn’t have to be uncomfortable! Stop hiding your smile because you are embarrassed of your teeth. Call Grady Dental Care today or contact us online to schedule your dental veneers consultation. We look forward to helping you achieve a smile you are proud to show off!