What can Porcelain Veneers Fix?

    PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 15, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- If you are dissatisfied with the way the appearance of your teeth is affecting your smile, you may be a good candidate for porcelain veneers. Veneers can improve the appearance of your teeth by concealing cosmetic defects. The only way to know if they can achieve your goals is to meet with an experienced cosmetic dentist.

Cosmetic Dental Problems and Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers can address most common cosmetic dental problems, including:
- Chipped teeth
- Stained teeth
- Cracked teeth
- Worn teeth
- Uneven tooth length
- Crooked teeth
- Misshapen teeth

For most dental problems that are cosmetic in nature, porcelain veneers can be an effective treatment.

There are certainly situations in which porcelain veneers are not the right treatment. If you grind your teeth while you sleep - a condition called bruxism - your dentist may discourage porcelain veneers, and with good reason. A habit of teeth grinding can break your porcelain veneers quickly after you get them, which would be a wasted investment in your smile.

Porcelain veneers are also not an option for replacing missing teeth or restoring severely damaged teeth. While veneers can conceal minor chips and cracks, they cannot hold together the pieces of a badly fractured tooth. Instead, a tooth crown would most likely be necessary for severe tooth damage. Similarly, they cannot straighten teeth that are causing a bad bite.

Conceal Cosmetic Dental Problems

Porcelain veneers work by concealing the areas of your smile with which you are dissatisfied. So a porcelain veneer does not get rid of tooth wear, but it covers it up.

The porcelain veneer is placed over the front surface of your tooth. First, your tooth enamel is abraded to make room for the veneer and to provide an adhesive surface. A temporary veneer is placed on your tooth while your customized, permanent veneer is created at the lab your dentist works with. Your permanent veneer is placed on your tooth and set with a dental bonding material.

Porcelain veneers do not last forever, but most patients have their veneers for five to 15 years before wear, discoloration or breakage necessitates their removal. If your porcelain veneers need to be removed, you will have to have them replaced with new veneers. Otherwise, the abraded surface of your tooth will be apparent.

If you live in Philadelphia and want to learn more about porcelain veneers, please visit the website of Lindsey Marshall, DMD, a dentist serving the Philadelphia area at www.lindseymarshall.com.

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