A great many people all over the world dream of a healthy and glamorous white smile – a million-dollar smile. Today, with the help of laminate dental veneers, it is possible to fulfill this dream. Laminate dental veneers allow you to smile confidently and wholeheartedly. Patients, whose teeth I have applied porcelain veneres on, repeat the same sentence, without having coordinated it between them. ” I don’t know why but I smile all the time, something that hasn’t happened in years.”
What exactly are laminate dental veneers?
Laminate dental veneers are thin porcelain shells (about 0.5 mm), which are glued on the outside of the teeth, so that the smile looks harmonious, bright, white and beautiful. The word Laminate comes from the English term Laminate Veneers, for porcelain dental coatings.
Who are dental veneers suitable for?
Laminate dental veneers are suitable for almost anyone who is not satisfied with their smile and wants a smile that is white and healthy, a million dollar smile or, as many call it, a Hollywood smile. There are many reasons for being dissatisfied with one’s smile. Crooked or crowded teeth, large spaces between the teeth, congenital absence of one or more teeth, stubborn stains on teeth, which cannot be corrected by teeth whitening, worn out teeth, or even an inverted bite.
In general, laminate dental veneers should be applied after the age of 18, because the teeth are still growing and some minor changes in the teeth position and gums can still happen. Nowadays, puberty happens a bit early in general, so in some cases it is possible to apply porcelain veneers even at an earlier age.
How are laminate dental veneers applied to teeth?
The treatment itself is not long and sometimes can be completed in just two sessions. However, the stage of examination and diagnosis is very important. It is necessary to identify the problem and plan the solution for it in advance. In addition, coordinating with the patient with regard to their expectations is a critical step in the successful application of laminate dental veneers.
The first question I ask the patient to understand their wishes is – “When you smile in front of the mirror, how dissatisfied are you, on a scale from 1 to 10?” In order to move forward with the decision to apply laminate dental veneers, the answer should be 9 or higher. Sometimes I get answers like “a hundred” or “a thousand” and it gives me an indication of how unpleasant their current situation is.
At the next stage, it is necessary to diagnose the problem that causes the dissatisfaction at the time of smiling or speaking. This is a critical step in my decision as to whether I can solve the problem with laminate dental veneers. For example, sometimes a situation of dental crowding can be solved with the help of conventional teeth straightening at an orthodontist. In such cases, I will usually recommend considering to choose this option, especially in younger patients.
The patient is not always interested in a long process of teeth straightening, for all kinds of reasons, and this fact should be included in the entire system of considerations, before proceeding to the step of applying laminate dental veneers. After the consultation and diagnosis meeting, if there is understanding and agreement to continue with the procedure of porcelain dental veneers, it can usually be done in two sessions.
During the first session, Dr. Gilad presents the teeth model, which is the final result model of what the porcelain veneers will look like. His team of dental technicians match the appropriate teeth color, the correct shape of and correlation between the teeth, and, after a minimal enamel removal of about half a mm, Dr. Gilad scans the teeth with the digital scanner. The scan is automatically transferred to the laboratory and according to this data, Dr. Gilad’s team of technicians prepare the porcelain dental veneers. The patient completes the first treatment with temporary veneers on their teeth. Although made of plastic, they look exactly like real laminate dental veneers.
During the second meeting, that takes place after several days, Dr. Gilad’s team of technicians bring the finalized porcelain veneers and Dr. Gilad demonstrates them on the teeth. Usually everyone is satisfied (hugs and kisses), and Dr. Gilad proceeds to apply the laminate dental veneers to the teeth, one by one. Laminate dental veneers are glued to teeth individually to allow proper cleaning with dental floss and a natural transition between porcelain veneers and gums. If there is a need for minor repairs to one or more of the porcelain veneers, the dental laboratory is located at the clinic and the team of dental technicians performs the repairs on site.
How long do laminate dental veneers last?
Bonding laminate veneers to teeth is a very technical, precise task that requires meticulous adherence to a large number of rules. In the professional hands of a dentist, experienced in the grinding and bonding technique, the porcelain veneers will last for many years.
There are several phases that are critical to the successful application of laminate dental veneers. The diagnosis phase is very important, because the problem needs to be identified correctly in order for laminate dental veneers to last for many years. For example, many people grind their teeth and you have to understand when this happens to prevent them from wearing out the laminate veneers as well.
About half of the people clench or grind their teeth while sleeping, which is the cause of tooth wear. If we don’t address this issue, even laminate veneers will wear down, just like their natural teeth. In these situations, it is mandatory to sleep with a special night guard, known by its scientific name as Kois Deprogrammer. It is a small brace, which is placed firmly and safely on the palate, preventing the teeth from being clenched. This brace also relieves headaches and migraines that result from over-exertion of the mastication muscles that in turn send radiating pain to the head.
The next important phase in the successful application of laminate dental veneers is the minimal removal of the tooth material and making transition between veneers and gums nice and smooth. At this stage, Dr. Gilad uses X10 magnifying glasses to ensure that there is a smooth, healthy and natural transition between the porcelain veneers and the gums. The meeting point between porcelain veneers and gums is critical for the final result that should be healthy and natural. If the transition point is not sealed, smooth and naturally healthy gums will be inflamed, bleed and appear swollen and red.
After the measurement-taking phase, Dr. Gilad’s team of technicians springs into action. The advantage of having a dental laboratory right at the clinic is huge. Dr. Gilad examines each case individually, and each patient receives their specific instructions and requirements.
The final stage in the successful application of laminate dental veneers, that makes them last for many years, is the bonding stage. Unlike crowns, laminate veneers are only attached to the outer part of the tooth, without wrapping around the entire tooth. Therefore, they depend only on the strength of the adhesion and not on the force of friction like ordinary crowns. Dr. Gilad bonds porcelain veneers using an exclusive bonding technique, called generation 4. This bonding technique is more complex and is made up of several stages, but it is the strongest bonding application in the field of dentistry.
Do laminate dental veneers cause any damage?
In experienced and professional hands, laminate dental veneers are a safe, minimalist and fast process that creates a winning smile – a healthy, white, natural and beautiful smile. In the past, dentistry mainly concerned itself with the health of teeth and gums and less so with aesthetics and beauty. Evidence for that is seen in black fillings (amalgam fillings), which are still found in most people’s mouths, instead of white tooth-colored fillings.
In the last two decades, an impressive technological progress has been made in the production of white filling materials (composite materials), strong adhesives and the types of porcelain called Zirconia and Emax, all of which provide dental treatments that are both healthy and attractive. Today there are solutions for people who stopped smiling because of an ugly smile or teeth that are not beautiful. Thanks to Laminate dental veneers that are made of enamel-like porcelain, Emax, it is possible to restore teeth, giving them a natural, healthy and beautiful look.
One of the most satisfying aspects of applying porcelain veneers, both for the dentist and for the patients, is to hear the patients say: “I haven’t smiled or laughed for years without covering my mouth with my hand! Finally I can smile and laugh with my mouth uncovered!” People who do not smile or laugh for years, unintentionally cause damage to their own mental health. Laminate dental veneers are a game-changer. They solve the problem, allowing you to smile from ear to ear.
What are the main issues that people seek to fix by using porcelain veneers?
As I have mentioned already, there is a huge variety of aesthetic problems that can be corrected with the help of laminate dental veneers. One of the most common complaints is related to worn down teeth, small fractures at the tips of the teeth and an old, tired look of the teeth. Indeed, worn down teeth look tired, old and unglamorous. Tooth wearing, caused mainly by clenching and grinding while sleeping at night, is a phenomenon that is beginning to receive more and more attention. Also because clenching your teeth often leads to headaches and migraines. It is safe to say that close to 50% of people wear down their teeth to one degree or another over the years.
Another common complaint is gaps between the teeth, asymmetrical spaces between the teeth or, alternatively, crooked teeth, crowded teeth, asymmetrical teeth. In some cases, especially in young people, it is possible and even recommended to straighten teeth in a conventional way, by moving teeth around – a long process. However, in some cases, this is not practical or it is not possible to achieve a perfect smile even after conventional teeth straightening. This is where laminate dental veneers come into play to help.
Another common complaint is yellow teeth, teeth that are not really white or stained teeth. Once again, in some of these cases the problem can be solved with teeth whitening alone. But in cases of white spots on the teeth or yellow-brown spots, resulting from a lack of calcium in the tooth enamel, porcelain veneers are the right solution.
In conclusion, there are many advertisements for Zirconia veneers done in Turkey at a low price. Is it worth it?
First off, porcelain veneers that look natural are made of Emax porcelain coating material or feldspathic porcelain coating material. Zirconia is a very strong type of porcelain. But it is less aesthetic and more coarse. It is also impossible to etch Zirconia porcelain, an important process in creating a powerful adhesion between the laminate veneer and the tooth. Therefore, in general, Zirconia dental veneers are a less aesthetic and less durable solution over the years.
In addition, in many cases, it is not necessary to grind down and cement laminate dental veneers on all teeth. The classic cases involve some general teeth whitening of all teeth and applying 6-8 porcelain veneers. Matching the color in this case is much more difficult and demanding, but definitely possible when done by the professional hands. In Turkey they do Zirconia dental veneers quickly because there they grind and bond Zirconia dental veneers on all teeth. In addition to the unnecessarily excessive treatment, treating too many teeth, even at a discounted price, leads to a not-so-discounted bottom line. Most people know what a healthy and beautiful end result looks like and know when the result does not match their expectations. Dr. Gilad treats many cases in which he replaces Zirconia veneers with correct porcelain veneers. In these cases, the cheap treatment has turned to be an expensive one, because the patients have paid twice.
