A Smile Boost With Porcelain Veneers

Chipped, cracked or stained teeth can spoil your smile. Dental veneers could be the answer.

You may have admired movie actors or even TV presenters who appear to have great looking smiles and thought how lucky they are to have been born with great teeth. While this might be true in some cases, and with good care they may have maintained this, the likelihood is that many of these people will have undergone cosmetic dental treatment on their teeth to make them look that way. The tag ‘Hollywood Smile’ comes from a time when actors during the classic era of Bogarde and Bacall underwent rudimentary dental improvements to make their often tobacco stained teeth look nicer and more attractive on the big screen and paved the way for where we are today.

For some time, these treatments were limited largely to this group of people and others with larger bank deposits than most of us could ever dream of. This has changed over the last decade or so though and cosmetic dentistry is more widely available now and the increasing number of people seeking smile improvements shows that it is growing in popularity too.

The tooth whitening treatment is one of the most commonly used procedures but there are many instances where it may not be the best solution and where porcelain teeth veneers come into their own.

Not just stained

While stained or discoloured teeth can often be effectively treated using a teeth whitening procedure, this is not always the case, especially if you are trying to emulate the smiles you have seen on TV. The reality is that many of us have various flaws in our teeth that a straightforward teeth whitening treatment will not eliminate or even improve in some instances.

Heavy staining

While having your teeth whitened at the Foxhall Dental Practice can greatly improve the way that they look, those with heavier staining might be better suited to having dental veneers fitted instead. There should be some improvement in badly stained teeth with a whitening procedure but it is unlikely that you will be entirely satisfied with the level of whiteness achieved. Because porcelain veneers replace, in effect, the front surface of the tooth enamel, they can be as white as you want them to be; from a subtle improvement to a brilliant shade of white.

Cracked teeth

One common problem that we hear from our Ipswich patients is when there are visible cracks in their teeth. Initially, these will need to be checked to ensure that the inner part of the tooth hasn’t been exposed as this could lead to tooth decay or root canal problems. In many cases though, these cracks are largely cosmetic but they do detract from the overall appearance of the teeth. If you have your teeth whitened, the cracks are still likely to show and veneers are likely to be a more successful procedure to help you get the smile that you want.

Chipped teeth

Similarly, teeth that have chips out of them can’t be rectified by having them whitened. There is also the risk that the teeth have been weakened by these chips or that they are causing a rough surface that cuts into the tongue and other soft oral tissues. Veneers are an excellent way to restore both the appearance and the comfort of teeth affected in this way.

The second step?

One thing that some patients may want to consider before having veneers, which do require some invasive treatment, is whether it is worth trying a teeth whitening procedure first to see what the degree of benefit they get from it is. This is an understandable approach as teeth whitening is an affordable treatment for many and is non-invasive so there are no risks involved in doing this. Certainly, if you are happy with the condition of your teeth but not the colour, there is no harm in trying this and if you are not happy afterwards, you can move on to having veneers.

For those who are unhappy with their teeth due to chips and cracks, we feel that there is little point in this as it wouldn’t change that fact and you would have wasted money. We are always happy to discuss this with you however so please do feel free to ask us about this as an option.

If you are hoping to have a ‘Hollywood Smile’ then, or simply want to see how we can help you improve the appearance of your teeth, why not come and see us for an initial consultation? We can discuss the options with you based both on your requirements and your budget. We feel that you will be pleasantly surprised at the improvements that can be made using the treatments that we have available at the Foxhall Dental Practice.

If you would like to arrange your initial consultation with us, please call our Ipswich dental practice today on 01473 258396.