Cosmetic Dentist | 4 Steps Your Dentist Follows To Affix Porcelain Dental Veneers To Your Teeth

Porcelain veneers are tooth-coloured, customised thin shells affixed to your teeth to cover any imperfections and to enhance their appearance. These porcelain veneers are bonded to your teeth to change their size, shape and appearance for the better. This guide is designed to help you understand the steps your cosmetic dentist follows to affix porcelain veneers to your teeth for helping you better prepare for the process.

Tooth Trimming

Your cosmetic dentist will first trim the tooth for the veneer. If the tooth is decayed in some areas, then your dentist will trim the area a little more extensively to remove it. The exact amount of enamel that needs to be shaved off will vary based on your tooth structure. The cosmetic dentist will assess your tooth before starting the process of trimming and may even apply an anaesthetic solution if you are sensitive to different sensations.

Finalising The Porcelain Veneer Shade

Your cosmetic dentist will refer to a shade guide to establish the right porcelain colour that is the closest match to your teeth on either side of the veneers. Your dentist may even decide to use different colours for different parts of the veneer to ensure that they look almost exactly like your actual teeth.

Making The Teeth Impression

Once the trimming and shades have been finalised, your cosmetic dentist will make an impression of your tooth and surrounding areas. This will be used to build your customised veneer. Your dentist will typically take the impression with a soft material known as impression putty. This thick paste is pushed into a dental tray and applied to your teeth for a few minutes until it sets. This tooth impression is used to make your porcelain veneer at a dental laboratory.

Bonding The Porcelain Veneer To The Tooth

Once the porcelain veneer has been constructed, it needs to be properly bonded to your tooth. Your dentist will first establish how the veneer fits against your tooth. The dentist may have to trim it slightly to ensure a good fit because some edges may need to be rounded, squared or shortened. The dentist will then apply acid etching gel, which creates a rough texture for superior bonding. Once this gel is washed off, your cosmetic dentist will place the veneer against the bonding tooth using a specialised bonding agent. The dentist will shine a bluish laser to cure the agent against the tooth and veneer.

A cosmetic dentist like those found at DC Dental will typically follow these steps when affixing porcelain dental veneers to your teeth. This will help you better prepare for the process.