Have you been thinking about porcelain veneers, but aren’t sure if now is the right time to get them? There are a few things to consider before deciding whether you should finally get the veneers you’ve been dreaming of.
Your Smile Affects Daily Life
One of the biggest considerations is how much you’re impacted by your current smile. This is a very subjective question, but it’s an important one. If you aren’t normally bothered by the appearance of your smile, now might not be the time to get veneers.
On the other hand, if you are constantly finding your life impacted by the appearance of your smile, then you shouldn’t keep suffering–you should get veneers as soon as practicable.
What types of impacts might you experience? If you experience any of the following on a regular basis, consider veneers:
- Avoiding smiling, laughing, or talking
- Not making or canceling plans
- Skipping meals so people can’t see your teeth
- Talking or smiling with your mouth covered
- Turning off your camera on Zoom calls
- Ducking out of group pictures
- Not smiling in selfies
- Feeling sad or having low confidence because of your smile
These effects are common for people who have unattractive smiles. You don’t have to keep experiencing them. Porcelain veneers are a solution that can give you an attractive smile.
Other Remedies Aren’t Working
Often people with an unattractive smile try several remedies before considering porcelain veneers. People often consider porcelain veneers after trying:
- Teeth whitening
- Dental bonding
- Invisalign or other orthodontics
Teeth whitening can be an effective way to brighten stained teeth. It works well on food and drink stains from coffee, wine, and more. However, it doesn’t work for all stained teeth–if your enamel has defects, is thin, or isn’t as bright as you would like, you might be dissatisfied with the results of teeth whitening. Veneers can give you the brighter smile that makes you feel confident. .
Dental bonding is an affordable approach to fixing chipped teeth, gaps between teeth, and other cosmetic problems related to the size and shape of your teeth. It works reasonably well, but the results aren’t as attractive as veneers and they don’t last as long. If you’ve tried bonding, but want a better solution, veneers are a good choice.
Often, people think orthodontics will make them happy with their smile. If they have crooked teeth, they want to straighten them. However, after straightening their smile, they might realize that their teeth are irregular in shape, discolored, or have other cosmetic problems that orthodontics can’t fix. Sometimes veneers are a great solution in this case.
You Have Problems Veneers Can Fix
Veneers are a powerful cosmetic dentistry procedure. They can fix many common complaints people have about their smiles. However, they can’t fix everything. Veneers might be a good choice if your teeth are:
- Discolored
- Small
- Chipped
- Crooked
- Gapped
- Worn
Or a combination of all of the above. Veneers are not good solutions if you have missing teeth, decayed teeth, or teeth that are badly crooked or crowded. Veneers also don’t fix a cracked tooth that needs structural repair.
You Want to Create a Uniform Smile
One of the great things about veneers is that we can apply them to any number of teeth at a time. If you have one problem tooth, a veneer can help. More importantly, veneers can simultaneously improve the appearance of all your teeth. Instead of having a patchwork smile, you can achieve a beautifully uniform appearance. Your smile will look like a single whole.
And along with this, you can customize your smile, deciding how youthful you want it to look, whether you want to have a more masculine or feminine smile, and more. It’s up to you–veneers give you full control.
You Don’t Have Health Issues That Threaten Veneers
Perhaps the only reason why now might not be the right time for veneers is if you have health issues that might threaten your veneers. If that’s the case, we will want to evaluate your oral health, fix the concerns, then discuss whether veneers are a good choice.
One common problem that is dangerous for veneers is bruxism (teeth clenching and grinding). Bruxism can damage your veneers the way they damage your natural teeth. We will want to address your bruxism, either through TMJ treatment or a bite guard before we consider veneers.
Another concern is cavities and decay. Veneers are not well-suited to placement on teeth that have cavities. Sometimes we might fix the decayed tooth with a crown, while applying veneers to the rest of your teeth, but we need to talk about your approach to maintaining your teeth in the future. Gum disease can lead to tooth loss, so we’ll want to treat that before placing veneers.
While veneers are a great way to reverse dental damage from bulimia and other purgative eating disorders, it’s best if you are managing your eating disorders before you get veneers.
Let Us Help You Get Veneers in Savannah, GA
If now is the right time for you to get veneers in Savannah, Beyond Exceptional Dentistry can help. We will talk to you about your options and make sure this is the right decision for you. We’ll evaluate your oral health and confirm that we’ll be able to get the results you desire. We can talk about payment options to help you make your dreams a reality.
Please call (912) 234-8282 today or use our online contact form to request a consultation with a cosmetic dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry in Savannah, GA.