Correcting your Smile with Porcelain Veneers

When you look in the mirror, do you see a set of straight, white, unblemished teeth? As much as we’d all like to see the perfect smile reflected back at us, most of us do not. Fortunately, the advances in cosmetic dentistry make that ideal smile a real possibility. Our Lake Jackson cosmetic dentists at Bell Dental Group, Dr. Brian Bell and Dr. Justin Crocker, are skilled at improving the appearance of the smile with cosmetic dentistry treatments. One of the most popular and effective ways to conceal blemishes and reveal a bright, beautiful smile is through the application of porcelain veneers.

If you have a smile that is less than perfect, you are probably asking yourself, “Can porcelain veneers work for me?” Because porcelain veneers can address such a wide array of dental issues, most of our patients in Lake Jackson find that they are good porcelain veneers candidates. Porcelain veneers are a good treatment option for any of the following cosmetic flaws:

• Teeth that are stained, or yellow or gray in color
• Teeth that have visible chips, cracks, or fractures
• Teeth that are overcrowded or misaligned
• Gaps present between the teeth
• Teeth that are uneven in size or shape

Because porcelain veneers are placed over the facial surface of the teeth, the application of porcelain veneers can simultaneously correct the appearance of any and all of the above cosmetic flaws. However, the presence of these blemishes will not automatically make a patient a good candidate for porcelain veneers. For those patients who could benefit from porcelain veneers, Dr. Bell and Dr. Crocker will consider additional factors to determine if porcelain veneers are a good treatment option. For our patients in Lake Jackson, porcelain veneers are a good choice when:

• The teeth are healthy: If decay is present, porcelain veneers cannot be placed. However, if the patient is still interested in porcelain veneers and is a good candidate in every other way, Dr. Bell and Dr. Crocker can treat the tooth decay and then reexamine the possibility of porcelain veneers.
• There is a significant amount of tooth enamel: During the porcelain veneers application a minimal amount of enamel will be removed and then the veneers will be bonded to the remaining tooth enamel. For the application to be successful, the patient will need to have an adequate amount of tooth enamel.
• The teeth are strong: Although porcelain veneers will greatly improve the appearance of the teeth, they cannot strengthen teeth that are weak. In fact, porcelain veneers are more delicate than the natural teeth, so they also should not be used on patients who habitually grind or clench their teeth.

In the right circumstances, porcelain veneers are one of the easiest and fastest ways to drastically improve the smile and reveal a set of even, white teeth.

Schedule an Appointment

If you’d like to improve the appearance of your teeth through the application of porcelain veneers, schedule an appointment with Dr. Bell and Dr. Crocker to learn if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Achieving the ideal smile you’ve imagined may be easier than you think.