Mount Prospect Cosmetic Dentist Explains Porcelain Veneers Placement

Porcelain veneers are a popular and effective option for patients looking for cosmetic improvement of the appearance of their smile. They are a great choice for resolving aesthetic concerns like damaged, crooked, chipped, and broken front teeth. Porcelain veneers placed by the Mount Prospect Cosmetic Dentist are sometimes referred to as ‘instant orthodontics’ because of the significant improvement they make to a patient’s smile. Unlike orthodontics, however, we place porcelain veneers in just a couple of office visits.

Dental veneers of porcelain are very thin ceramic shells designed to offer the same translucency, color, shade, and texture of natural teeth. Porcelain veneers are bonded permanently over the front surface of your tooth. They can also be used to cover teeth that are worn down, chipped or broken, misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped. Veneers made of porcelain may also be used to fix a single broken or chipped tooth.

One benefit that busy patients enjoy is the fact that porcelain veneers can be created and placed in two or three visits. During your first visit to our Mount Prospect Cosmetic Dentist office, we will talk to you about the shape, size, and color of your desired smile. Once this is decided, we take impressions of your teeth and remove a small bit of enamel from the tooth surface so the veneer fits naturally over your teeth.

After the veneers have been created, we make final adjustments to the veneers and to your teeth as necessary. The porcelain veneers are then bonded to the surface of your tooth. It may be necessary to return for a follow-up visit to ensure proper placement and that your gums are adapting well to the veneers.

While porcelain veneers are considered to be permanent in terms of their placement, they usually will not last a lifetime and will eventually need to be replaced. But with proper oral hygiene and routine visits to your dentist, porcelain veneers can last for as long as 15 years.