The appearance of your teeth is essential for your smile and confidence. When you refrain from smiling with an open mouth and are always worried about showing your teeth, you could benefit from dental veneers. Dentists recommend veneers for various issues, including tooth discoloration and chipped and broken teeth. Dentists also use veneers to fix teeth that appear too pointy, small, or awkward in the mouth.
When you choose veneers, you have different options, including porcelain veneers and no-prep veneers. Your choice depends on your needs, budget, and preferred final look. Anyone can benefit from veneers if they need to improve their teeth's appearance. Additionally, veneers are easy to install and maintain.
If your teeth are damaged, your dentist will recommend veneers if they feel you are a good candidate. It helps to speak to them about your concerns and ask questions to understand how they work before installation. Here are some general indications that you could benefit from veneers:
You Are Dissatisfied With Your Smile
Your teeth play a vital role in your life. In addition to ensuring that you enjoy good nutrition, your teeth determine your smile. Your smile can be healthy and beautiful based on its appearance. People with an unhealthy smile often refrain from smiling or showing their teeth because they worry about others judging their appearance. You smile and socialize confidently when you're sure your teeth are healthy and beautiful.
Fortunately, you can fix an unhealthy smile with dental veneers. They are tooth restorations that fix discolored, broken, chipped, or irregular teeth. If you are unhappy with your teeth’s appearance, it could be time to consider veneers. Speak to your dentist about your concerns, needs, and budget for a suitable recommendation. They will discuss dental restorations that could benefit you, including veneers.
Dentists recommend veneers for people wishing to improve a particular aspect of their teeth. For example, if a tooth is discolored or stained, a veneer can quickly restore its appearance. People who suffer traumatic injuries that affect the appearance of just one or two teeth can also benefit from a veneer.
Veneers are easy and quick to install. You do not need to undergo intensive preparation to receive a veneer. They are also less invasive and likely to result in zero or minimal discomfort. The dentist will not need to prepare the damaged tooth for a veneer. Veneers can fix the issue if you have a crooked tooth and cannot afford braces or withstand the pain and discomfort of wearing braces. You can achieve a perfect look and improve your smile with veneers in no time. Additionally, you can stay with a veneer for years before needing a replacement.
Your Teeth Are Broken, Chipped or Cracked
Although your teeth’s enamel is solid, it can break, chip, or become damaged if it experiences a grave impact. An accident like a fall or a blow to your face can leave you with a broken or chipped tooth. The tooth’s functionality is affected when it breaks or chips. You cannot chew or bite as you would with a solid, healthy tooth. Additionally, a chipped or broken tooth can worsen over time, creating an even graver issue that will take time and cost more money to fix. Some tooth damage results in lost teeth if not treated on time. Dentists recommend restoring broken, chipped, or otherwise damaged teeth immediately.
They recommend various treatments for damaged teeth, depending on the extent of damage, your preference, and desired results. Your dentist can recommend veneers if they are sufficient to cover the damage to your tooth. A veneer covers the damaged tooth’s surface to improve its appearance, strength, and functionality. It could also prevent further damage to your teeth.
However, you must be a good candidate for dental veneers. Your dentist must establish this at the beginning by reviewing your treatment history and conducting a comprehensive examination of your teeth and gums. If you have another dental problem, like a cavity, you must treat it before receiving a veneer. If you have recently undergone treatment like root canal therapy, your dentist will allow you to heal before installing the veneer.
A veneer will protect your broken or damaged tooth from severe conditions like cavities and gum disease. This is because it will prevent harmful bacteria from accessing the internal structures of your damaged tooth, causing damage and infection.
Your Teeth Are Severely Stained
Stained teeth will prevent you from smiling broadly and socializing. People with stained teeth do not feel attractive and will shy away from others. Even with all kinds of solutions for stained teeth, including store-bought teeth whitening products, some people still struggle with the problem. Fortunately, veneers can significantly improve the appearance of your stained teeth, restoring your confidence and brightening your smile.
Your teeth color is affected by what you eat and how you care for them. Failing to follow proper oral hygiene habits could leave you with stained teeth. Dentists recommend regular professional cleaning to remove tough stains that could be hard to remove by regular brushing. People with more tea, coffee, wine, and other stained foods and beverages will likely experience stained teeth. Professional cleaning can remove some of these stains. However, if your teeth are severely stained and professional cleaning cannot help, you can improve their appearance using veneers.
Dentists recommend veneers for stained teeth if only a few of your teeth are stained. Typically, veneers are suitable for the front teeth. Your dentist will consider the color of your other teeth to determine the exact color of veneers to use. This way, your teeth will match in color after treatment. If your other teeth require slight improvement, your dentist can whiten or bleach them first before installing veneers. This way, all your teeth will be bright and beautiful.
It helps to carefully choose the type and color of veneers because changing them will be difficult after installation. Once the dentist places the veneers, you can only remove them so many years later when you need a replacement. Removing them almost immediately after installation can damage your teeth.
You Have Significant Gaps in Your Teeth
Overly-spaced teeth do not seem significant until they affect your smile and confidence. Just because a dental issue is not causing you pain or discomfort does not mean it is a non-issue. Significant gaps between teeth can affect your bite and smile and cause problems like TMJ disorders. They could also result in overlapping teeth as your other teeth fight for the remaining space on the gum. You need to speak to your dentist immediately after noticing the problem for various solutions to improve your teeth’s appearance and smile.
Dentists recommend immediate treatment for overly spaced teeth for various reasons. If an excessive gap between two or more teeth causes other teeth to overlap, you could experience difficulties keeping the overlapping teeth clean. This could be a perfect breeding ground for cavity-causing bacteria. The harmful bacteria can also cause gum disease, inflammation, and oral infections. Spaced-out teeth could also embarrass many, affecting their smile and social lives.
Overly-spaced teeth could result from several factors, including accidents, injuries, and habits like thumbsucking. Fortunately, dentists have several solutions for overly spaced teeth. Your dentist can recommend wearing braces to realign your teeth and fix your bite. However, a veneer could be ideal if the spaces between your teeth only affect your smile. Veneers are popular for fixing tooth gaps. You can use them to fix a gap between your front teeth or correct uneven spacing throughout your mouth. Since veneers are perfect for concealing tooth problems, you will no longer have to worry about your spaced teeth after installation.
You Have Worn Down Teeth
Natural teeth are strong and must remain so to look and function well. However, some factors affect the strength and appearance of teeth, including wear and tear. How your teeth are as an adolescent or young adult is not the same as how they will be when you become older. Normal wear and tear affects various body parts, as well as the teeth. Your teeth could also wear down due to dangerous habits like teeth clenching and grinding. These significantly weaken the enamel, affecting the appearance and functionality of the tooth.
Some foods could also contribute to the deteriorating health of your teeth. Acidic foods also affect the enamel, resulting in worn-down teeth. Once your teeth wear down, they no longer appear beautiful and aligned. The factors causing your teeth to wear down do not affect all your teeth simultaneously and at the same rate. Thus, some teeth will appear shorter than others. Other teeth will be longer on one side than the other. This uneven appearance can significantly affect your smile and confidence.
Veneers could help restore the appearance of your natural teeth and protect them from further damage. However, you must first establish the wear and tear caused to ensure your veneers remain sturdy for the recommended period. If you habitually clench or grind your teeth, your dentist will recommend techniques to stop the habit and protect your restored teeth. You could also change your eating habits from acidic or hard foods to foods that will not affect your teeth.
Dentists fix worn-down teeth by fixing a veneer on the front part of the affected tooth. The veneer, which appears and feels like a natural tooth, will restore the length and shape of the affected tooth. It must also be the same color as your other teeth to restore your smile and confidence.
Your Teeth Are Irregular, Uneven or Misaligned
If your teeth are crooked, uneven, or misaligned, consider veneers. Teeth become crooked, irregular, or misaligned for several reasons, including improper jaw development, genetics, and habits like thumb-sucking. Misaligned teeth will affect your smile and confidence and make it challenging to keep your teeth and gums clean. The difficult-to-reach areas between irregular teeth become a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. If food particles remain stuck in those spaces for a long time, they could combine with oral bacteria and cause cavities or gum disease.
The various treatments dentists use for crooked, irregular, or misaligned teeth depend mainly on the severity of the condition. Severe misalignment could require a more costly treatment than mild misalignment. If your teeth are not severely affected, your dentist can recommend veneers. This is because veneers are an easy and cost-friendly way to fix minor uneven, irregular, or misaligned teeth. Your dentist's goal during treatment will be to conceal the imperfection on your teeth.
Veneers are custom-made in the dental lab. Your dentist can create a veneer's exact shape and size to fit over an existing tooth to mask the misalignment or unevenness. Fixing the veneer requires minimal preparation of the problematic tooth, making it a less invasive treatment.
It takes three visits or less to the dentist’s office for preparation and installation. Your dentist only needs to reshape the tooth to accommodate the installation slightly. They will also take impressions of the affected teeth to create an exact fit in the lab. Once the veneers are ready, your dentist will call you back to their office to fix them. At the end of the treatment, you will enjoy a significant transformation.
Find an Experienced Dentist Near Me
Do you or someone you know have tooth imperfections in Northridge that affect your smile and confidence?
You should consider veneers. They are less invasive, affordable, and effective dental restorations for tooth imperfections, including discoloration, misalignment, and irregular and damaged teeth. Dentists recommend veneers for minor restoration and for patients who prefer a different treatment than braces and other expensive and invasive orthodontic treatments.
Our dentists at Northridge Advanced Dentistry are highly trained and experienced in installing and caring for veneers. We have the information you need to understand how veneers work, the advantages and disadvantages, and the installation process. This will help you make an informed decision. We will be glad to conduct an in-depth examination of your teeth and gums to determine your suitability for veneers and then discuss your options. Call us at 818-701-3010 for more information about our services and your dental needs.
