Porcelain veneers are an incredibly popular way of disguising damaged, stained and misaligned teeth. They can quickly transform your smile, appearance and confidence. Ceramic veneers can also restore the function of your bite. If you’re interested in transforming your smile you may be wondering what the procedure is for getting them fitted.
In this post, we delve into the steps you need to take to get porcelain veneers.
Porcelain veneers are thin or very thin shells of porcelain that fit over the front surface of teeth. The custom-made shells adhere to your teeth with special dental cement. They can be used to disguise a range of aesthetic concerns.
Porcelain veneers are fitted by an aesthetic dentist sometimes called a cosmetic dentist. They are a dental professional who specialises in improving the appearance of a person’s teeth, gums, and bite. They use a variety of techniques and procedures to enhance the look of the smile, including teeth whitening, veneers, and orthodontics.
Here’s an outline of all the steps you need to take to get porcelain veneers fitted. From finding a cosmetic dentist to having them bonded to your teeth. The procedure usually takes 2 or 3 appointments.
According to the AACD, 96% of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing to members of the opposite sex. The first step in getting your dream smile that dazzles is selecting an Aesthetic Dentist. Aesthetic dentistry is a speciality, not all dentists are trained and not all of those who are, are proficient at it.
It’s important to pick a well-trained cosmetic dentist who has lots of experience and respects your smile goals and wishes. You want them to create a smile that you will cherish for many years to come.
Take time to find an aesthetic dentist that’s right for your needs and budget.
Getting porcelain veneers fitted will start with a consultation.
Here at Smile Stories, the process starts when you send us 6 pictures of your teeth so we can create a personalised and complimentary Confident Smile Report. We then follow this up with a free online video or in-house consultation. This makes it easier for us to consult with those people from all over the UK that like to travel for treatment with our award-winning dentists.
During the consultation, we can discuss
Successful, long-lasting and aesthetic porcelain veneers that you are ecstatic about start with good planning.
The individualised treatment plan will include costs for your porcelain veneer treatment.
The next step is making 3D models of your teeth so that the dental lab can make your personalised veneers from special dental ceramics.
Here at Smile Stories, we use 3D imaging to create digital Impressions with an Intraoral Scanner which allows us to get a comprehensive look at your teeth from all angles and plan really well for your veneers. We can see the width, height, and depth of each tooth.
We use a special wand-like camera and run it along your chin and images populate on the computer screen for your to see. The specialist software we use is able to create a 3D mock of your teeth, gums and mouth that we use to design your porcelain veneers.
Other dentists may not have this specialised and advanced equipment. These dentists will make moulds of your teeth using putty-like material called alginate. The alginate is mixed with water and then placed into a plastic tray that is placed over the teeth. Once the alginate has set, the plastic tray is removed and the mould of the teeth is created.
We’d also take a ton of photos on a high-powered DSLR camera to map the minutest details of your teeth. From the colour, effects, texture and shape, the information we gather is outstanding to ensure we spend hours behind the scenes making a perfect plan with the ceramist.
This is the most crucial step in the Smile Stories process and it’s important for two reasons. Firstly, you get to see what your new smile will look like! In the same way you’d test drive a car before buying it, we believe it should be the same with your teeth. After all, you’ll be wearing it for the rest of your life.
So you can take a look at the tooth shapes, colour, texture and details and ensure you’re happy. If we need to make changes we will, and repeat the trial smile stage as many time as we need to get things 100% to your taste and goal.
This step may be omitted if ultra-thin veneers are being fitted.
The dentist will remove a small amount (a couple of mm’s – about the thickness of an eggshell or 2) of tooth enamel from the front surface (this is not tooth shaving which happens overseas or when older thicker style veneers were fitted years ago) of the tooth to make room for the veneer. This is not painful but local anaesthesia may be used to minimise discomfort.
Don’t worry, we’d never leave you without a smile though. We’ll place prototype veneers onto your teeth for the time it takes to fabricate your veneers. You can eat and drink on these as you would normally and your friends and colleagues wouldn’t know the difference.
Scans, photos and/or impressions are sent to the dental lab. Our master ceramists custom-make your veneers in the colour and material we co-planned and decided is best suited for your smile and according to your goals. This process usually takes about 2-3 weeks.
Once the veneers are ready, the dentist will place them on your prepared teeth and check for proper fit and colour match. The veneers are then bonded to the teeth with special dental cement.
Find out more about how porcelain veneers are applied to your teeth.
The dentist will schedule a follow-up appointment to check the veneers and make any necessary adjustments. We’ll also take some high-powered after photos on the camera so you can remember how far you’ve come!
Now you know how porcelain veneers are fitted to your teeth you may be eager to get porcelain veneers fitted. To get the process started book a FREE consultation today with our award-winning aesthetic dentists.