The first thing your cosmetic dentist will do when you are considering a smile makeover is to perform a complete examination of your mouth and then have a consultation with you to determine what changes you think are needed for your smile. He will also suggest changes based on a number of factors and will explain the procedures involved with implementing these changes. When he makes these suggestions he will take into account the shape of your face, color of your hair, skin pigment, size of your smile and a host of other criteria to determine the perfect smile for you. There are certain clinical standards that he can apply to your mouth to make these suggestions and once you have settled on the needed changes, he can start the procedures.

Depending on the type and amount of work needed, this can be a fairly quick and painless process. Many of the dental changes you’ll need for your smile makeover will involve minor cosmetic procedures like dental bonding and veneers. Both of these are done in the office and are fairly painless. They are added to your existing teeth and can have a dramatic impact on the shape and color of the teeth they are applied to.

Another procedures he may employ is gum shaping and this may be needed if you have gums that extend down lower on your teeth. This can be a result of improper flossing and will give your smile a “gummy” appearance and make your teeth seem shorter than normal. Your cosmetic dentist can reduce the depth of your gum and allow more of the tooth to be seen which will improve the balance of your smile.

A major consideration in a smile makeover is your smile line. This is an imaginary line that roughly follows the bottom of your upper teeth and is the area most people focus on when viewing your smile. This line should closely mimic your lip line and if there are some teeth that protrude lower than others they can interrupt this smile line. To repair this, your cosmetic dentist can do some tooth shaping that may involve veneers and some dental bonding to correct this smile line.

When considering a smile makeover, be sure to find a cosmetic dentist that you are happy with. This process can be done over time and you have the ultimate choice on what type of changes you want to make to your smile.

Improvements in both the techniques and materials used in the process of creating and applying these enhancements make them an amazing product that will last you a lifetime. Dental veneers are being used in more ways than ever before and can help a patient correct for a defect in one of their teeth or used as a cosmetic improvement for various situations.

Other uses of veneers include the correction of gaps between teeth in a patient’s mouth. In this case veneers can be applied to the teeth on either side of the gap to cosmetically close it. Dental veneers are also perfect for correcting crooked as well as discolored teeth. In some cases these veneers can be used instead of orthodontic procedures in adults to obtain a perfect smile.

There are two different types of dental veneers used today and they are either porcelain or composite. The composite veneers can be applied to the tooth directly as they are built up in layers. They can also be constructed by a dental technician first and then placed on the tooth in a single visit. This gives the cosmetic dentist more flexibility as every patient has different needs. Some patients prefer to have their original tooth adjusted over several visits with the layering technique, while others would rather make the adjustment more quickly in one visit to their dentist.

Unlike composite veneers, porcelain veneers are always crafted by a dental technician first and then applied to the patient’s teeth. The technician creates these veneers from molds of the patient’s teeth and notes supplied by the dentist. There may also be pictures of the patient’s mouth as well as guidance for tooth coloring options. The porcelain is shaped to provide the perfect thickness and contour for the tooth it is being applied to, and then sent along to the dentist for adhesion to the tooth. This dental veneer is bonded to the original tooth with composite resin and once in place becomes virtually permanent. Both types of veneers can last a patient anywhere from 10 to 30 years if they take care of their teeth.

In both types of veneers the underlying tooth may need to be shaped prior to applying the veneer. The surface of the tooth is usually reduced by .5mm to give the applied veneer the space it needs for adhesion. This also ensures that the finished tooth aligns with the other teeth around it and doesn’t protrude unnaturally.

Even though dental veneers are created to be very durable, cracking and damage may occur over time. This usually happens from improper biting and can be corrected if necessary. Over the last few decades dental veneers have proven to be the perfect solution for many patients’ dental problems. They provide a permanent way to correct for a wide range of tooth issues and are a quick and painless solution.

There are several methods for porcelain repair and which one the dentist ultimately chooses is mostly dependant on the severity of the damage and the type of veneer that was affected. Porcelain is a very durable material and should give most patients years of use without incident, but the location of the repair that the porcelain was used to correct can determine its useful life. If the porcelain was used to create a veneer that was applied to the front of the teeth with dental adhesive to correct a problem with a tooth, this repair will last the longest if the patient is careful about not biting into particularly hard food. Also, if the porcelain was used to create a crown for a tooth, this can be a very durable repair as well as long as the patient is careful to avoid chewing very hard foods, or biting into hard candies like breath mints.

If a problem does develop with a tooth repair that was done using porcelain, there are a few ways that the cosmetic dentist can accomplish a porcelain repair. The simplest porcelain repair involves replacing the entire porcelain veneer. This is the quickest type of repair since it depends on the creation of a new veneer, the removal of the damaged one, and the application of the new veneer to the damaged tooth. Even though this is the quickest way to complete a porcelain repair, it is the most expensive. This is because the custom creation of the exact veneer that is required to match a patient’s damaged tooth is a very labor-intensive process. Although this may be the easiest form of porcelain repair, most cosmetic dentists only use this method when the damage is extensive.

The other method of porcelain repair that is used most widely by cosmetic dentists involves applying dental composite to the damaged area. Dental composite is a material that will cure with very durable qualities onto a properly prepared tooth and look very natural. Small cracks and fractures in a porcelain veneer can be repaired by the application of this composite to the damaged area. Before applying the composite, the porcelain needs to be prepared to accept the composite and this is done by roughing up the surface area of the tooth to provide a good surface for the composite to grip. The cosmetic dentist will use a diamond tipped burr and may also do micro sandblasting to the area to make sure it is perfect for the application of the composite. The composite material is then prepared to match the color of the tooth and applied to the damaged surface and sculptured by the dentist. Once completed, the repair looks as perfect as the original tooth. This form of porcelain repair is less expensive than the complete replacement of the veneer and will provide excellent results that will last for years with proper dental hygiene.

Although they’re most often called porcelain veneers, they may also be made of resin composite materials as well as porcelain, although porcelain is the preferred material because they most resemble your natural teeth in the way they reflect light and they also resist stains better than any other materials. For patients considering dental or porcelain veneers, costs of each material are usually considered before making a decision.

Porcelain Veneers can be used to fix the following problems:

• Worn down teeth

• Discolored teeth

• Chipped or broken teeth

• Uneven, misaligned or poorly shaped teeth

• Teeth that have gaps

The entire procedure for getting porcelain veneers consists of three trips to your dentist or cosmetic dentist. The first trip involves a trip to your dentist where you’ll discuss the possibility of porcelain veneers, costs of the procedures and what you hope to achieve when they’re finished. Your dentist will examine your teeth to determine if porcelain veneers are right for you and make take x-rays and impressions of your teeth as well.

The second trip to the dentist will have your dentist preparing your tooth for the porcelain veneers by removing a small (about 1/2ml) of enamel from the surface of the tooth. This is usually done under local anesthesia so the area is numb. Your dentist will then take impressions of your mouth, which will be sent to the dental lab that will be making the veneers. This may take up to a week or more.

The final visit to your dentist will be for the bonding. Prior to actually cementing the porcelain veneer to your tooth, the dentist will place it in your mouth temporarily so you can see the color and fit. The dentist will then begin any trimming that needs to be done to get the perfect fit. Before the porcelain veneers are actually bonded to your tooth, your dentist will have to prepare it for the veneer by cleaning and polishing it. Once this is done, the dentist will apply special bonding cement to the veneer and place it on your tooth.

After the veneer is on the tooth, a light beam will be applied to the veneer to make the cement harden much quicker. When it’s hard, the dentist will remove any excess cement and make any adjustments that are needed. You may have to have a few follow-up visits to make sure your gums are responding as they should and to check the bonding. If satisfied, your tooth will have a new and beautiful appearance. For individuals that really like the results obtained from the porcelain veneers, costs are not even an object anymore. In fact, many go back to have porcelain veneers put on additional teeth.