There are several reasons that teeth may need to be shaved down. The number one reason is to make space for the veneer. The minimal thickness of a porcelain veneer is realistically 0.5mm. (1) While thinner veneers can be made, their translucency becomes a factor.
Preparing your teeth for veneers is not painful. Sometimes, a dentist can prepare your teeth without any local anesthetic. However, if you have sensitive teeth or dental anxiety, your dentist will numb your teeth and ensure you do not feel discomfort throughout the procedure.
As for the underlying tooth or teeth involved, nothing bad happens. Since a dentist only has to remove a small amount of enamel, nerves and roots are never touched. With the veneers in place, the person's natural teeth remain intact. The natural teeth simply serve as the foundation for the new veneers.
Teeth Shaving Done at the Dentist
You may undergo teeth shaving for: Cosmetic Reasons: A step for adding veneers but also a low-level, painless cosmetic dental procedure, teeth shaving can improve the appearance of a tooth that is misshapen, slightly chipped or has scalloped or jagged edges.
As with any type of dental or medical treatment, veneers may not be right for everyone and some people may experience some downsides including: Veneers are permanent. They can make teeth a bit more sensitive to heat and cold. While porcelain veneers are less susceptible to staining, composite veneers may stain.
Keep in mind that veneers are permanent and require preparation (light shaving) of your natural teeth. Once you receive them, you can't go back to your natural teeth.
With care, your porcelain veneers should last you 15 years or longer. Even better, it's strong enough that you rarely have to worry about damage to it. One more thing to consider with porcelain veneers is your habits. If you have daily behaviors that stain your teeth, porcelain is highly stain-resistant.
Benefits of teeth contouring
The procedure generally costs $100 to $300 per tooth, depending on how much work is needed. Because only surface enamel is removed in tooth reshaping and dental contouring, there's generally no discomfort during the procedure and no anesthesia is required.
Teeth shaving is often performed to reduce crowding or as a preliminary treatment for orthodontic procedures to align the teeth. Shaving teeth to correct crowding is sometimes an option when the upper and lower front teeth do not fit together properly.
The dental veneers will chip or crack or get worn down. Composite or porcelain veneers can be durable, but they can start to wear down and may even crack over time. Your tooth supporting the veneer can become decayed.
Porcelain veneers are semi-translucent, meaning that light partially passes through them just like natural tooth structure. If veneers have a flat or opaque look, they will appear totally artificial when they are in place. A porcelain veneer that is too opaque might also be the wrong color when in place.
The answer is that porcelain veneers, when performed correctly, should feel completely natural in your mouth. You shouldn't even notice them when you're talking, eating, or doing anything with your teeth. They don't require special care, and they should look and feel just like regular teeth.
Lumineers are a brand of prepless veneers made of an extremely thin layer of porcelain. Just like other types of veneers, Lumineers can conceal stained, chipped, uneven or cracked teeth, giving you a white, straight smile. Because they are so thin, your teeth won't need to be shaved down to accommodate the veneers.
Waiting for Your New Veneers
Because veneer treatment requires the removal of small amounts of enamel, you may notice increased sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures in your mouth. Avoiding hot tea and ice cream until you fully adjust to these changes can help you avoid discomfort.
How Much Enamel Is Removed for Veneers? For this procedure, your dentist shaves off some of the tooth's outer enamel, but not enough to compromise its overall structure. In most cases, only about half a millimeter of enamel is removed for veneers.
Pros: Happier with your smile, feeling more confident, and improved look and appearance. Cons: Healthy tooth structure is removed which can lead to malocclusion or unnecessary tooth wear if not properly managed. Dental contouring is also usually pain-free as only a small amount of tooth tissue is removed.
The reshaping of front teeth for aesthetic reasons is also common. But again, even if the reason is cosmetic, a dental professional should do the teeth shaving. Cosmetic recontouring involves gently reshaping and polishing the front teeth to make crooked teeth appear straighter or more attractive.
The short answer is "yes." If the damage is minor, the dentist might be able to file the tooth and smooth out the chip. If the damage is severe, the tooth will probably require more than enamel reshaping. In any case, do not fret about a chipped tooth.
Most dentists recommend waiting until girls are between the ages of 14 to 16 and boys are around age 18, as this is the typical age range when the size and shape of the jaw has stopped growing and changing. Placing veneers before jaw growth is complete can result in shifting teeth and crooked veneers.
In short, porcelain veneers themselves cannot get cavities. However, the teeth they adhere to are still subject to decay, which is why it is of the utmost importance that you maintain a solid oral hygiene routine following your procedure.
With the proper care, veneers can last between 10 and 15 years or longer. Aside from brushing, flossing, and keeping up with your regular dental appointments with your Carrollton dentist, veneers require no special maintenance.
While most foods are safe to consume with porcelain veneers, you do need to be careful with hard foods like apples, raw carrots, and bone-in meats. It is possible to crack the porcelain when biting down on extremely hard foods, which is why it's generally recommended that you chew these foods with your back teeth.
The short answer here is yes, porcelain veneers can become stained, even though they're technically more resistant to staining than your natural teeth. Coffee and many other foods and drinks contain certain pigments that can discolor your veneers the same way they can discolor your natural teeth.
More specifically, they want to know if veneers will make eating more difficult. The short answer is no, veneers should make eating difficult. If they are properly fitted, then veneers shouldn't affect your biting, chewing, or the normal function of your teeth.