A study commissioned by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) discovered that more than one-third of Americans are unhappy with the appearance of their smile. Luckily, there are options for those who wish for a more aesthetically pleasing look.
If you are looking for a minimally invasive way to improve the appearance of your teeth, veneers could be the answer. Veneers are porcelain facings bonded directly to the teeth. They are thin, comfortable and often require minimal or no preparation of the teeth. Veneers can provide natural looking changes to improve your smile.
Thanks to their versatility, veneers can solve a wide array of issues that include:
Shade Differences
Teeth can vary in shade for a variety of reasons. Discoloration can be surface stains on the enamel caused from certain foods, dark drinks with heavy dyes, tobacco use, even some mouthrinses and types of fluoride. Internal discoloration can occur in the inner layers of teeth from trauma or from exposure to antibiotics in infancy. Veneers can be used to cover both types of shade issues for a whiter smile with color continuity throughout your teeth.
Alignment Issues
You may not need braces to correct minor misalignment. If the crooked area is not affecting your bite and is purely cosmetic, you could be a candidate for corrective veneers. There are a couple benefits to choosing this route over braces. With veneers, you will not have to wait months or possibly years like you would with traditional orthodontic treatments, and you could correct things like shape or color of the tooth, all in the same treatment.
Tooth Size Discrepancy
Some people have teeth that appear too small or too narrow. Tooth size discrepancies can be caused by genetics, grinding/wear or poor tooth development leading to spacing or crowding. Veneers can help to close those gaps and increase the visible surface area of the teeth to make them appear larger without orthodontic treatments.
Chipping or Fractured Teeth
Fractured or chipped teeth happen for any number of reasons. Clenching, grinding, trauma, and detrimental habits such as nail biting and ice chewing can all contribute to fractured and chipped teeth. Veneers are a worthy candidate for restoration of these issues, because the porcelain will cover the tooth top to bottom for a seamless look, giving the appearance that the chip or crack was never there at all.
Overall Appearance
Veneers provide an aesthetically pleasing look if you are fixing one or two problem teeth or the entire mouth. They can provide continuity to both the shape and color of your teeth and are specially fitted to you to provide a natural and beautiful look. While they can be used to fix issues with your teeth, they can also be applied simply to give you a Hollywood-ready smile.
