Veneers and Braces?

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Veneers and Braces?

There is a popular misconception among dental patients that, because dental veneers improve the appearance of misshapen teeth that they serve the same purpose that braces do. The truth of the matter is that veneers can't replace orthodontic work, if orthodontic work is necessary. Both methods of treatment can and will do wonders for a less than perfect smile, but be sure to travel the right route of treatment to the best result for your healthy smile.
What Each form of Treatment Does
Braces main function is to straighten crooked and misaligned teeth to create the perfect, straight and gap free smile. Braces have come a long way in recent years; today's versions are one hundred percent pain free and invisible. There was a time when braces required a multitude of pain filled visits to the orthodontist, where the patient would sit having a variety of tools and implements stuck in their mouth to tighten and loosen wires as the teeth adjusted to the pressure of ugly and uncomfortable metal braces. The patients where then often subjected to the mental torture of their peers for having to walk around with a mouth full of metal clamps, clips and wires.
The innovations made in the area of teeth straightening are truly astronomical. Companies like Invisalign produce a clear, completely invisible and totally undetectable way to straighten the teeth. With today's invisible braces, young patients can achieve a perfect smile without any fear of torture from classmates or peers; and adults who refused to have their crooked smiles repaired with the uncomfortable metal braces of old can now have their teeth aligned with no one being the wiser, improving their overall appearance and gaining a good deal of confidence in the process.
Veneers, on the other hand, won't repair the damage that braces will; they are more designed to fix cosmetic problems than to repair the damage that an orthodontist would need to take care of. If your teeth are stained, discolored, chipped or have small gaps between them, veneers can be installed to enhance the appearance of teeth and improve the look of the smile. Veneers are like a shell that sits over the damaged or stained tooth, usually made from porcelain, they often require that some of the tooth that they will be installed over to be ground away and removed to fit properly.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The only real disadvantages of braces lie in the time they can take to correct the problem and the money that you'll have to invest to have them done. The latter of the two has gotten a lot better with the technological advancements as new braces now require far fewer office visits than the older versions to correct the problem. Also if you have chipped or discolored teeth, braces won't do anything to repair those types of damage. As a whole the positive results yielded from the treatment with braces is worth all of the time and money that the treatment costs.
Veneers can be installed and remedy several problem with less than perfect smiles almost immediately. Discolored and chipped teeth will no longer pose any problem for you, but veneers do have a few downsides. Veneers are permanent, and if cracked usually can't be repaired - this means that if you have a veneer crack, you have to start the whole process with that tooth from the beginning. Veneers can sometimes get dislodged and fall off, putting you in the same position of having to start from the beginning with that tooth again. Even if tooth sensitivity had never been a problem for you in the past, getting veneers installed may make your teeth sensitive to hot or cold because the removal of some enamel may be necessary during the installation process.
Both methods of treatment serve an excellent purpose in the correction of ugly smiles, but they are two very different treatments. Before attempting to pick a method of treatment on your own, consult your regular dentist and maybe even make an appointment with an orthodontist to choose the best method of treatment for your particular problem.

Dentist Toronto providing advanced cosmetic and general dentistry such as Invisalign braces, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Nutt

What Are Porcelain Dental Veneers?

What Are Porcelain Dental Veneers?

The application of porcelain veneers can greatly improve the quality of your smile. Your dentist can easily perform this common procedure in order to fix teeth that are chipped or cracked, may have some discoloration, are gapped in between, misshapen or slightly misaligned, or any other dental situations where porcelain veneers may be useful.
Porcelain dental veneers are very thin strips made of porcelain that can be bonded to your teeth in order to improve the shape or color of your smile. Unlike crowns, which fit over the entire tooth, these aesthetically pleasing facing's cover only the front of the tooth. They are crafted to fit your smile exactly, by creating custom impressions of your teeth. The surrounding teeth are also taken into account when determining exact proportions, to help ensure that a natural and attractive look is achieved.
In addition to correcting already existing problems, porcelain veneers can provide protection to your smile by keeping your teeth from becoming damaged or discolored in the future. With proper care, they can last in upwards of 15 years. Naturally, this translucent ceramic material is a fairly brittle material; however, specific steps are taken during the procedure to strengthen the veneers and make them extremely durable.
A normal procedure will require at least two visits to your dentist. On the first visit, your dentist will inspect your teeth and make casts of your smile. These casts will be used to create your custom veneers that will fit perfectly over your existing smile, covering any damaged, discolored, or slightly misshapen teeth. These bonded shells can also be used to fill gaps between the teeth.
After the impressions have been taken and the ceramic bond crafted, your next visit to your dentist will be to apply your new porcelain veneers and achieve the smile you have been looking for. They are then polished to ensure a natural, attractive smile. Normally, these two visits are all that are required besides any follow-up appointments.
Porcelain dental veneers take on the look of enamel and can provide you with very good results. They are more aesthetically pleasing than alternative procedures, such as crowns. Veneers are typically used for more cosmetic purposes, but if you require actual restorative work, they can be used in conjunction with many dental procedures, such as bridges, crowns, and fillings.
If you would like to achieve a more attractive smile, and cover the appearance of chipped, cracked, discolored, or gapped teeth, then porcelain dental veneers may be just the answer you are looking for. Contact your dentist to see if they are right for you.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of Richmond Dental Health.
The dentist office provides cosmetic, family, and preventative dentistry procedures throughout the Richmond Virginia area. For more information on their Cosmetic, Family, & Preventative Dentistry in Richmond Virginia please visit their website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Budda_Oliver

Composite Or Porcelain, Which Veneers Should You Choose?

Which Veneers Should You Choose Composite Or Porcelain 

Before we get into the differences, the pros and cons of composite vs porcelain veneers, it's important to understand what purposes veneers are generally known to repair or enhance.
Veneers are used to repair the spaces between teeth, as well as to correct permanently stained teeth (external and internal stains). They are also the best method of hiding unsightly fillings, which can occur via cheap dental work, or from having a filling erode over time. Lastly, veneers are almost always the first choice for correcting poorly shaped teeth, so confidence in smiling can be restored.
The next best thing to a porcelain veneer is something called a "composite resin veneer". Resin is nothing more than a filling material that resembles the color of your teeth, but perhaps made brighter in order to assist in hiding stains. This is material used to hide a filling once completed, and can be further manipulated to cover over a tooth, creating veneers.
The benefits of composites definitely begins at the price point, and you can see below just how drastic a price difference there is between the two. As well, a composite veneer can be applied within one dental visit. The most notable benefit of a composite is that it can be repaired if damaged. The downside of this type of veneers is they generally will not look as natural or appealing as their porcelain counterpart, and they certainly do not last as long. They will discolor over time, and they do tend to chip and crack. As well, while you can normally expect a composite veneer completed in one dental visit, the "in chair" time is around 2 to 3 hours, depending on the amount of work required. This can be a hassle for those dental appointments that normally take place during a work day.
Porcelain veneers, therein, have many advantages over composites. In the first place they look completely natural; the visual appeal is much better than that of a composite. Also, once applied, porcelain is much stronger, once it is attached and cemented to the tooth. Porcelain veneers do not wear down, and they will not stain as quickly as a resin composite, in fact you would be hard pressed to stain the porcelain at all if it is well maintained.
The only real downside to porcelain, aside from the price point, is that once chipped or damaged in any way, they normally must be replaced. You cannot repair a damaged porcelain veneer. Another important factor that can be considered a disadvantage is that the process is irreversible. The original tooth enamel is roughed and manipulated in order to make way for the veneer and that will cause a permanent need for the veneer.
The Reality of Cost:
The cost of a composite veneer can run at around 200 to 300.00 per tooth, whereas the porcelain counterpart can run anywhere between 800.00 to 2,000.00 (and more). So yes, the price difference is quite drastic. Having said that, the argument is always that while a composite may be cheap in the initial outlay of expense, repairing and replacing resin veneers in the future can limit the savings benefit of any initial cost.
So there you have it. A few pointers on the different kinds of cosmetic dentistry veneers and I hope they offer some insight as to which may be the best option for you or your loved ones.

To learn more about veneers, including the costs, risks, and benefits, visit Shannon Dunlevy at Cosmetic Dentistry Veneers. Therein you can find any and all information needed to make your informed cosmetic dental decision.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Dunlevy