Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Porcelain Veneers

Cosmetic dentistry has become an increasingly popular way to enhance the look of your smile and raise your self-confidence. One treatment option to permanently change your smile’s aesthetics is porcelain veneers. However, are porcelain veneers noticeable? Keep reading to learn more.

What Are Porcelain Veneers?

If you decide this dental treatment is right for you, we will place customized, thin layers of porcelain over your natural teeth to cover the following dental concerns:

• Chipped teeth
• Broken teeth
• Misshapen teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Gapped or misaligned teeth

Are Veneers Noticeable?

Because we can design your veneers to match the color, shape, and length of your natural teeth, you will be amazed at how they can blend with your existing smile. With porcelain veneers, you have options. When we form your treatment plan, we can assess your smile goals and decide on these two options:

1. If you want to dramatically change the look of your smile, your veneers will initially be more noticeable to someone who has known you for a long time.

2. However, if you prefer, your veneers can be created to match your existing smile, making them much less noticeable.

The choice is yours!

Interested in Porcelain Veneers in Birmingham, AL?

If so, contact the dental team at Cook Family Dental. We want to help you love your smile; porcelain veneers can help. Call us at (205) 326-6384 to schedule a consultation or an appointment.

Porcelain dental veneers are strong, thin shells of porcelain that are customized to improve your smile’s appearance. Veneers are placed on the front surface of the tooth and can change the tooth’s size, shape, length, and shade. 

Veneers Can Create Your Perfect Smile

Veneers are a cosmetic treatment used to conceal or correct minor smile flaws such as:

• Worn, cracked, or broken teeth
• Stained or discolored teeth
• Teeth of irregular shapes or sizes
• Fill in uneven gaps between teeth 
• Correct the appearance of slightly crooked teeth

Porcelain veneers are permanently bonded to your teeth, giving you a bright and beautiful smile that lasts a lifetime. Our porcelain veneers are designed to complement your facial features and skin tone, as well as blend in with your natural smile. 

The Treatment Process

Getting veneers is non-invasive and painless. You and your dentist will first determine which shade, size, and shape your veneers will be to make sure they look as natural as possible.

Your dentist will then carefully apply the veneer to the surface of your tooth with a cement-like bonding agent. After the veneers are applied, your dentist will perfect their size and shape to make sure they seamlessly match your smile. You can receive your new smile in as little as one dental visit!

Porcelain Veneers in Birmingham, AL

If you are unhappy with the appearance of your smile, porcelain veneers may be the cosmetic treatment for you. To schedule a cosmetic consultation, please call our Birmingham dental office at (205) 326-6384. 

Our porcelain veneers in Birmingham, AL, are made of the finest quality porcelain for a lasting, beautiful, and functional result.

On average dental veneers last between 10 and a dozen years, but if you take excellent care of your restorations and practice a few good habits, they can last much longer.

A dental veneer is a measured section of porcelain cemented to the forward surface of a tooth. You can choose one veneer or many, depending on your needs. To properly flush your veneer alongside untreated teeth, your dentist removes a bit of tooth enamel. This means the veneer is permanent and must be replaced if damaged or lost.

To extend the life of your porcelain veneers:

• Brush and floss following all meals or at least two times per day
• Come into our dental office for checkups and teeth cleanings every six months
• Avoid biting on sharp or hard objects like pens, stones, ice, or bottle caps
• Talk to your dentist if you grind and clench your teeth
• Don’t participate in athletics without the proper mouthguard

Talk to Your Cosmetic Dentist in Birmingham, AL

Are you considering veneers? We encourage you to contact our dental team to arrange a consultation with the dentist today.

For our friends and neighbors in Birmingham, cosmetic dentistry is becoming more accessible every day. That's because the team at Cook Family Dental knows your smile can be a tremendous asset in both your personal and professional life. So we strive to offer numerous dental treatments that will make your teeth look better with the least stress and effort.

For surface flaws on the visible parts of your smile, we may recommend dental bonding or a porcelain veneer. Each of these options solves the problem by concealing those flaws while using different methods and materials.

Dental Bonding Is Complete in One Visit

For the more straightforward method of covering tooth problems like chips, misalignments, and discoloration, we use the same material as for tooth-colored composite dental fillings to sculpt out your flaws. This substance is malleable so that your dentist can color and then shape it to match your surrounding teeth.

Porcelain Veneers Are Comprehensive and Durable

A veneer is more involved because it is fabricated in an outside dental lab from high-grade porcelain ceramic. To design it, your dentist takes an impression of the tooth to be treated and then sends that out for production. You return within a week or two when your veneer is ready, and we prepare your tooth and cement the veneer into place, even with your tooth surfaces. Because porcelain is dense and strong, porcelain veneers usually outlast dental bonding treatments for a restoration that lasts ten years or even longer.

A lot of the way we feel about ourselves is wrapped up in our facial appearance and the first impressions we make when we meet others. If you have smile flaws that you feel detract from your appearance and want to make a change, you can’t beat porcelain veneers in Birmingham, AL for a true aesthetic transformation.

You will be more attractive to others when you are confident that your smile looks healthy, bright, proportionate, and well-balanced., and you don’t hesitate to share it.

Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin shells of ceramic that have reflective qualities similar to tooth enamel. When Dr. Cook places them on the front surfaces of teeth that show when you smile, they conceal whatever cosmetic flaw concerns you. Veneers also have the added benefit of filling out a drawn or aged appearance in the lip area, 

At Cook Family Dentistry, our Birmingham patients commonly request dental veneers to resolve imperfections like:

• Chipped, broken, or cracked teeth
• Badly stained or discolored teeth
• Teeth with wide gaps or uneven spacing
• Teeth that appear too short or too small
• Teeth with shape or size discrepancies
• Minor tooth misalignments

The process for getting porcelain veneers usually requires two office visits. During the first, Dr. Cook removes a thin layer of tooth enamel and takes impressions of your teeth. He makes temporary veneers for you to wear while waiting for a custom lab to prepare your final veneers.

When your porcelain veneers are ready, you will return to our Birmingham dental office so we can remove your temporaries, fit and adjust your final veneers, and cement them securely in place.

Schedule an Appointment at Cook Family Dental

Ready to learn more about porcelain veneers? Call Cook Family today to get started!