What to expect during your dental veneers placement.
Suffolk County dental veneers can transform your smile into your favorite accessory. If you’re considering a cosmetic makeover and want to learn more about the dental veneers process, each step is explained below in further detail.
Since cosmetic dental veneers require a great amount of detailed planning, understanding the overall treatment process can help you be prepared ahead of time. Here’s what you can expect:
Veneer Placement Starts with a Consultation
The placement of dental veneers begins with a one-on-one consultation with our Long Island cosmetic dentists. During this assessment, we’ll discuss your main goals, concerns, and answer any questions that you may have.
Not everyone qualifies for dental veneers, so your consultation is a good informative visit to find out if they’re right for you. If they aren’t, we can suggest other types of cosmetic dentistry treatments that may be a better option.
Your consultation is a time to talk face-to-face with our cosmetic dentists and decide whether or not veneers — or our team — is the right fit for your smile’s needs. We want you to feel comfortable and confident from day one. Consider your consultation as a type of interview before committing to anything long-term; you want to be sure that it’s the right decision.
The Planning Phase of Dental Veneers
Once you’ve committed to getting dental veneers, the most important step of the process is the planning phase.
As we map out your veneer treatment, we’ll want to assess things like:
- How many veneers you need
- The length, width, and overall shape of each veneer
- What color and hue is best for your smile
- Supportive therapies required (if applicable)
- Your comfort throughout the process
- The current health of your teeth and gum tissues
- Financial details, including payments and financing
You might find that your dental veneer planning is spread over the course of a couple of different appointments, depending on your circumstances. The key is to not rush the process.
As part of your planning phase, we’ll take a series of photographs, dental impressions or scans, as well as digital X-rays. Having the right amount of information will ensure your smile makeover is well planned for the best outcome.
If You Need a “Wax Up”
Depending on the situation, we may or may not recommend what’s called a “diagnostic wax up” or simply “wax up.”
A wax up is essentially a preview of your proposed dental veneer treatment before we design and deliver the permanent porcelain version. Typically, it’s made out of something like wax or some other type of temporary dental material. The idea is to give you a sense of what your proposed smile design will look like. That way you can make any additional tweaks or changes to the case before we move to the next step.
Your wax up could be on a model of your mouth or even placed onto your teeth to get an in-person preview of our aesthetic recommendations. Since wax ups are temporary; there is no physical dental work involved.
The “Prep” Visit: Veneers Step 1
When you’ve settled on a smile design and are ready to begin the actual dental veneer treatment, you’ll book what we call the “veneer prep” appointment.
Since veneers are bonded to the front of your teeth, steps need to be taken to prevent the additional layer from looking too bulky. We’ll gently prep the outermost enamel and slightly remove a thin layer, to reduce the width of your tooth in that area. That way when a veneer is attached to your tooth, the size looks and feels natural.
After each of your teeth is prepped, we’ll take a series of impressions to record a 3D model of your adjusted bite. Our lab will use the models to handcraft your veneers one tooth at a time. In the meantime, we’ll apply a set of temporary veneers over your prepped teeth. These interim restorations add a layer of protection over the slightly adjusted enamel so that your teeth won’t feel sensitive or irritated while you’re waiting on the permanent veneers to be installed.
The Placement Visit: Dental Veneers Step 2
About two weeks after your initial prep appointment, your final porcelain dental veneers will be ready for installation. We’ll have you return to our office for a shorter appointment, then prep you for the placement. Depending on your preferences and comfort level, you may not even need any type of numbing medication applied.
The temporary veneers are gently removed from your teeth and the exposed enamel is then conditioned for the bonding process. Next, a strong bonding agent or dental cement is applied to the inside of the applicable dental veneer, then the restoration is pressed onto your tooth. The adhesive will then cure in place and your veneer becomes a permanent fixture in your smile! We repeat this step tooth by tooth until each of your dental veneers has been installed.
After all of your permanent veneers have been bonded into place, you’ll have the opportunity to look in the mirror and see a brand new smile shining back at you.
Assessing the Results
Once your permanent porcelain veneers are installed, we’ll check to make sure everything fits together nicely. Including the way your upper and lower teeth bite together. If any last-minute adjustments are required, we can make those at that time.
Dental Veneer Maintenance
Getting dental veneers isn’t a “once and done” process. You’ll want to make sure you care for your new smile as best as possible to get the long-term results you want. For instance, we recommend sleeping in a nightguard to avoid any chipping or wear to your porcelain restorations. Additionally, be sure to floss around your veneers daily and schedule a cleaning at least once every six months.
Ready for a Smile Makeover?
Contact Sachem Dental today to reserve a dental veneers consultation. We’ll help you achieve the smile of your dreams through our attentive, personalized process. Flexible payment options are also available!