Common Appearance Problems Veneers can Treat

Everyone wants to have a perfect, gleaming smile, but most celebrities have upgraded what nature gave them to be ready for their close-ups that will magnify any flaws, even on the smallest screens. Dental veneers, thin pieces of biocompatible porcelain bonded to the front of teeth, are such common elements of the gleaming Hollywood Smile that stars like Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Hilary Duff, and George Clooney have been open about utilizing their benefits.

Some of the most common problems that veneers can cover are chips and cracks, usually from accidents, but sometimes these are preventable. You should avoid chewing on ice or especially hard foods such as nuts or candy, biting on pens or your nails, and pulling clothing on or off with your teeth.

Damage can also result from the misalignment of teeth so that the upper and lower ones don’t match. In moderate cases, such as teeth that are too small, too large, misshapen, too close to each other or there are gaps between them, veneers can fix the appearance and the underlying problem (complex misalignments require orthodontic treatment).

Or teeth may have been damaged because of a tense jaw, whether from psychological pressures or physical causes, causing someone to grind their teeth while sleeping (often only aware of this when a partner complains). This can be prevented by having Dr. Marine create a customized nightguard, like a sports mouthguard. 

Another major reason that people turn to veneers to improve their smile is discoloration. If you drink a lot of coffee, tea, red wine, or colored sodas, or you frequently eat dark foods like tomatoes and blueberries, over time your teeth will become stained. Even swishing water around the mouth or brushing and flossing afterwards is often not able to stop this process. You may also have a root canal showing through, the yellow dentin layer below the outer protective layer of enamel is visible, or you could have naturally dingy teeth.

As you may have realized, over-the-counter whitening options are not very effective. Sometimes even a professional whitening in our dental chair is not enough to remove stains completely and veneers are the best solution. 

Dr. Marine is a specialist in No-Prep Porcelain Veneers, an advanced type which does not require the removal of much of the enamel, which is part of the process to prevent veneers from sticking out unnaturally, but weakens the teeth. 

Call for an appointment to have a full dental exam and find out what your best options are for getting to your perfect smile, possibly including veneers.