Dental veneers are among the most popular cosmetic treatments, as they can address multiple issues in just a couple of dental visits. However, veneers permanently alter your natural teeth. In this article, we discuss what happens to your natural teeth under veneers and discuss veneer alternatives.
What Happens to Your Real Teeth Under Veneers?
Your real teeth underneath veneers are alive and functional. However, it is important to talk about the veneer application process to understand how the teeth are altered. To fit veneers on your teeth and have them look natural and be comfortable, your teeth have to be filed down. Filing the teeth involves removing a portion of the enamel. This alteration is permanent, as our natural enamel can not grow back.
Teeth can not survive without their enamel, as there is nothing to protect them from bacteria and acid. Thus, when you get dental veneers, you commit to wearing them for the rest of your life, as they become a protective layer for your altered teeth.
Veneers tend to wear down every 10 to 15 years if made of porcelain and every 5 to 7 years if made of resin composite. Once worn down, veneers have to be replaced with a new set or with dental crowns.
Can Everyone Get Dental Veneers
Dental veneers can effectively mask the following cosmetic issues:
- Cracked and chipped teeth
- Severe tooth staining or discoloration
- Teeth of uneven length and misshapen teeth
- Minor gaps between the teeth
However, not everyone is a good candidate for dental veneers. Issues that are likely to make veneers invisible for you include:
- Tooth decay and cavities
- Uncontrolled gum disease
- Bruxism (involuntary teeth grinding)
- Severe teeth misalignment
- Teeth previously weakened by decay, and teeth with large fillings.
Dental Veneer Alternatives
If you are not a good candidate for dental veneers or if you are not ready to commit to this type of alteration, we recommend considering other treatments that can deliver comparable results:
- Teeth whitening can be a great solution for people whose main concern is staining and discoloration.
- Dental bonding can solve similar issues to dental veneers, but it requires less tooth preparation and is applied only locally to the area of concern. Bonding can be used to mask deep stains, restore worn-down, cracked, or chipped teeth, slightly alter the length of teeth, and close minor gaps between teeth.
- An orthodontic treatment is always recommended instead of veneers if your main concern is crooked teeth. Even though orthodontics can take up to 2 years, it does not just mask the issues, but offers a permanent solution, improving your oral and general health, and facial symmetry at the same time.
- Lumineers are a modern alternative to veneers. They are much thinner than veneers and typically do not require enamel removal to fit. However, because they are thin, they might not be as effective as veneers at masking more severe issues.
If you have multiple concerns, a combination of several methods might deliver the desired results. For example, a combination of an orthodontic treatment, teeth whitening, and minor alterations with dental bonding, if needed, can offer similar outcomes to dental veneers.
Get High-Quality Veneers at Santa Ana Magic Smile
If you are considering dental veneers or other cosmetic treatments, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a reliable dentist at Santa Ana Magic Smile. We will carefully examine your oral health and consider your goals and preferences to offer you an optimal solution. We are looking forward to your visit.
