Are you considering a smile makeover with porcelain veneers, but you are nervous about the procedure? Well, you are not alone. Most people associate this form of treatment with pain since it involves creating space in natural teeth. Surprisingly, this process doesn’t hurt!
How are Teeth Prepared Without Pain?
When preparing your teeth for porcelain veneers, a huge chunk of tooth enamel is not removed. Usually, a cosmetic dentist will remove 0.02 inches or less depending on your dental formula. However, he might remove more especially if you are seeking to reposition or reshape your teeth. To ensure no pain is experienced, some type of numbing is applied as part of the process.
What Happens After Preparation?
Even though your teeth were numbed during preparation, they might experience stress of vibration from the tools used. This causes the pulp to swell and puts pressure on the nerves. As a result, you might feel some level of discomfort which can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
After preparation, the dentist takes your teeth’s impressions. Then, he places temporary veneers, which you will wear until customized ones are ready. You could experience tooth sensitivity to cold and heat during this process, since temporary veneers are not as insulating and protective to the teeth as final veneers. However, you will not feel much discomfort as you would during bone grafting or teeth extraction procedures.
Final Veneer Placement
As soon as your final veneers are ready, your dentist will schedule an appointment to have them placed. When this happens, the temporary veneers will be removed in a painless process, but you might experience some discomfort since the enamel will be briefly exposed to the air. However, the dentist may choose to numb your teeth at this stage depending on how you react to the treatment.
Just like placing dental implantsor any other invasive dental procedure, you might experience sensitivity and discomfort for a few days once the final veneers are cemented. There are many over-the-counter medications that can help control this issue, but they must be recommended the dentist. Once the discomfort disappears, the final veneers will feel as comfortable and look as beautiful as natural teeth, and you will forget you have them in no time.
With proper treatment and good oral hygiene, the final porcelain veneers can last for decades. This means you can wear a beautiful smile for a long time, and have a high self-confidence that will shape your professional and social relationships.
Something worth noting is that the level of discomfort felt when receiving porcelain veneers is highly dependent on the procedure and varies from patient to patient. Basically, a person receiving five veneers will experience less discomfort than one having this treatment on all teeth. The extent of reshaping could also determine how the patient feels after the procedure.
In case you are feeling self-conscious about your teeth and would love to revamp your smile with porcelain veneers, don’t hesitate to call a cosmetic dentistry expert. Dr. Alex Rubinov will discuss your problems and offer services that will help you wear your smile with pride forever! Contact us on (718) 253-0800 today!