Little Rock Dental Veneers ... What You Really Need to Know.

Overview of Little Rock dental veneers.

Are you embarrassed to smile because of teeth that are crooked, stained, chipped, worn, or badly cracked? You may be a good candidate for dental veneers.

Veneers are thin, custom made shells that attach to the front side of your teeth. The process is considered to be cosmetic dentistry since the main benefit is a bright white smile with perfectly aligned and shaped teeth.

You need to know that this process is usually irreversible because the enamel on your existing teeth is thinned down to accept the veneers.

What are the different types of dental veneers?

There are two main types of dental veneers used today. Your choice would depend on several things, the most important normally being cost and durability.

Porcelain - This is the traditional veneer material. Today, these are made from a translucent, ceramic material that produces a bright white natural look. Porcelain veneers are the longest lasting and most expensive of the two.

Composite - A newer technique using modern composite resins as the veneer material. This process can sometimes be done in the mouth directly, as well as indirectly like porcelain veneers. Indirectly just means the dental veneers are made away from your dentist's office and installed at a later time. The composite veneers are usually quite a bit less expensive, but don't last as long. You would need to talk to your dentist about which one of the Little Rock dental veneers would best suit you.

What kind of dental problems can veneers solve?

• Worn enamel - over time the hard white enamel covering of the tooth may become worn and discolored.
  
• Wear and tear - teeth wear down with age, causing chips, cracks, and unevenness.
  
• Genetics - some people are born with gaps between the teeth that widen with age.
  
• Uneven teeth - caused from tooth grinding and years of wear and tear.

Bonding - Small cracks and chips may be able to be repaired with a white composite filling. The process, called "bonding", uses a resin material to fill the crack or chip and bond to the rest of the tooth to provide extra strength.

Tooth Whitening - If your teeth are not severely discolored, tooth whitening may provide the result you're looking for. Only you and your dentist can really make this decision.

Click here for more info about tooth whitening.

If your teeth don't have severe cosmetic problems and are functioning adequately, you may be better off with an alternative treatment. Since dental veneers alter your teeth permanently, you need to be sure that this is your best solution.

Click here for more info about Little Rock dental veneers.

Click here for help in choosing a Little Rock cosmetic dentist.