Do you feel self-conscious showing off your teeth? Whether it’s from crookedness, a large gap or a chipped and stained tooth, many of us have our own qualms about flashing our smile.
Porcelain veneers offer a complete smile makeover, taking the teeth you’ve always felt insecure about and making them glossy white, straight and dazzling!
Using an ultra-thin piece of porcelain, veneers are attached to the front of your teeth by a dentist to hide any imperfections. Completely customisable, veneers leave the choice of shape, colour and appearance completely in your hands.
At TLC Dental, we know just how daunting cosmetic dentistry procedures can seem at first, so we’ve broken down the process so you can understand exactly what to expect when getting veneers.
Step 1: Consultation
Like any dental procedure, your journey to a brand new smile starts with a chat with your dentist. As every mouth is different, there’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all solution for these kinds of cosmetic dentistry procedures. Book a consultation and pop into your local clinic where your dentist will examine and take x-rays of your teeth to make sure they are free from gum disease, tooth decay or any other pesky oral conditions. If you need a root canal or any other similar procedure, you may not be the right candidate for veneers.
Your dentist will then spend some time exploring your goals for the treatment – how do you want your teeth to look? What is it, exactly, that you dislike about your current teeth and how do you want your smile to change? We want you to love your smile, so we’ll make sure we use this time to discuss the perfect solution for you.
The consultation phase is your chance to ask any questions, explore other options or share any concerns that may be on your mind about the veneer process. Your dentist is there to help you, so ask away!
Step 2: Size it up
Your teeth have had a health check, you’ve sorted a treatment plan and you’ve discussed costs – it’s now time to prepare your teeth!
To get the right sizing for your veneers, your dentist will trim down your enamel to make way for the veneers. Don’t worry – this sounds far more painful than it actually is! We’ll use a grinding tool to trim your teeth down ever-so-slightly before taking a mould of your teeth. The mould is then shipped off to a lab where our technicians get to work creating your shiny new veneers.
Step 3: And on they go!
After excitedly  from your last appointment, it’s now time to jump back in the dentist chair to have your veneers placed on your teeth. We’ll consider the shape, colour and fit of the veneers to make sure they match your mouth and your vision perfectly. Should any changes to the appearance need to be made, your dentist can use bonding glue to produce the desired shade.
Before these beauties are popped on your teeth, you can expect to receive a thorough clean to help ward off any contaminants that might spell trouble for the bonding process. We’ll then pick up the grinding tool to roughen up the texture of your teeth so the veneer can stick to them easily.
If you’re worried about the pain, don’t stress – our dentists carefully numb all the required areas so the process can be as painless as possible. We want to see you feel as comfortable as possible while in the dentist’s chair. At TLC Dental, we pride ourselves on our friendly and open nature and we’d be more than happy to discuss our full range of modern pain management solutions.
We’ll then whip out some dental resin to permanently hold the tooth and the veneer together, before applying ultraviolet light to solidify the resin.
Your dentist will then hold up a mirror and voila! Get ready to marvel at your very own brand new set of pearly whites!
Step 4: The recovery
As far as dental procedures go, you can expect a pretty minimal recovery process. While you may at first find yourself with a bit of sensitivity along your gum line, it’s nothing mild painkillers and a warm salt water rinse three times a day won’t fix. You may also find yourself with red and sore gums for a week after the procedure – pop down to the pharmacy and pick up a gum gel to rejuvenate and nourish your gums should you feel they need it.
Step 5: Now what?
The process is done, you’ve recovered and you’re loving your dazzling new smile, now what? This shouldn’t give you the green light to slack off on your oral health, you should treat your veneers exactly as you would treat your actual teeth.
Getting veneers can be a costly affair, so make sure you upkeep proper dental hygiene to make sure you get your bang for your buck. When correctly cared for, you can expect your veneers to last roughly 10 years.
Are you ready for the ultimate smile makeover? Reach out to our friendly and professional team to discuss if veneers are right for you. We also offer a range of cutting-edge cosmetic services, including teeth whitening, dental crowns and bridges, white filling, caps and dental implants.
Give us a ring today, we’re conveniently located in five state-of-the-art clinics across Perth and Mandurah!
