Restoring Your Teeth With Dental Veneers

Porcelain restorations for both practical and aesthetic purposes are available at our Greenwich practice.

Some dental procedures are largely designed for practical purposes, whilst others such as the ever popular teeth whitening procedure, performs no other role than to improve the appearance of your teeth.

Some treatments do fall somewhere in the middle though, having a practical application for both restorative and cosmetic purposes. One treatment that falls into this category is the use of porcelain dental veneers.

For anyone who hasn’t read our previous blogs, a brief reminder of what a veneer is. Essentially, it is a very fine layer of porcelain that is used to replace an equivalent thickness of the natural enamel surface of the teeth. It is then shaped and polished to give a realistic appearance. It can be used for practical or cosmetic purposes and we take a look at some instances of this below.

Sensitive teeth

It is possible that some of our Greenwich patients may have noticed that their teeth have seemed more sensitive than usual during the recent ‘cold snap’. Some degree of this may not be unusual. For example, if you have been outside in the cold weather for some time, breathing in freezing air, and then take a drink of hot tea, you may notice some sensitivity with your teeth. This shouldn’t be painful though, and if you find that it is, or find that your teeth are sensitive in normal conditions, there may be a problem that veneers can help with.

In you are experiencing this, it is likely that the enamel on your teeth has become damaged in some way. This may be through general erosion caused by exposure to acidic food and drinks or even through brushing too hard. Whatever the reason, using dental veneers to replace the damaged surface will protect the more sensitive inner part of the tooth from exposure to extremes of heat.

Similarly, if a tooth has a small crack, or chip that exposes the inner part of the tooth, veneers can be used to restore these too.

Diastemas

The gap that some people have between their front teeth is called a diastema. Some people actually like this look, but it can lead to some issues such as crooked teeth. If the diastema is fairly mild, veneers can be used to close the gap. More extensive ones may require orthodontic treatment.

Badly stained teeth

Moving on to the cosmetic reasons why some people have dental veneers; having discoloured teeth can be a problem and may not only look unattractive, but may knock some people’s confidence too. There are a number of solutions to correct this problem, the effectiveness of these will depend on the type and degree of the problem. Whilst some surface staining can be removed following a scale and polish procedure, carried out by the hygienist at the Confidental Clinic, a more thorough whitening can be achieved using our custom home whitening treatment. Even this though, may not be effective enough if the staining is too heavy.

Heavier staining can occur through long term use of staining products such as red wine, soy sauce etc. One of the most common reasons though is through long term smoking.

A new start for ex smokers

When someone has finally kicked the habit, after smoking for a long period of time, many are left with the residual effects of this dangerous habit, one of which is having very dark teeth, often in a shade of yellow or brown. Whilst a teeth whitening procedure may alleviate some of this legacy, most ex long term smokers will attain significantly better results from having dental veneers fitted. The idea of having a nice attractive smile again, can also act as an incentive to stop smoking in the first place.

It is not just ex smokers who can benefit though. Anyone whose teeth have discoloured can gain from this treatment. Although it does require some dental surgery, this is done using a local anaesthetic, and most patients don’t find the procedure too uncomfortable. Initially, temporary veneers are fitted as the final veneers have to be produced off site. This generally takes a week or so at an external laboratory. On their return to our Greenwich practice, the temporary veneers will be removed and the new ones fitted.

With the advance of cosmetic dental treatments, no one need suffer from unsightly teeth anymore. At the Confidental Clinic, we offer not only offer veneers and teeth whitening procedures, but dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic dentures and even facial aesthetic treatments, all carried out by our experienced and highly trained team.

If you have badly discoloured teeth or any problem that makes you unhappy with the way that your teeth look, why not arrange a consultation with one of our cosmetic dentists? You can do this by calling our Greenwich practice on 020 8858 1422.