Veneers and Bonding

Veneers and Bonding Can Improve Your Smile

Improving your smile with veneers or dental bonding are not only used to fix cavities or broken teeth but can also be used to improve the look of healthy teeth. Veneers are applied to the entire front surface of the tooth, whereas bonding is applied to a smaller portion of the tooth. Bonding and veneers make your teeth look better by changing their colour, shape, angle or spacing. Semiahmoo Dental Centre can fix teeth that are broken, chipped, cracked, have spaces between them or that are discoloured. This cosmetic dental treatment can improve your smile and give you more confidence.

What is Veneers?

Veneers are very thin shells that are attached to the front part of teeth. They are often made of porcelain or composite resin. Porcelain veneers are stronger than composite resin veneers and do not change colour or stain. Generally, porcelain veneers take at least 2 dental visits to apply and composite resin veneers can be done in 1 visit. Porcelain veneers generally last longer than composite resin veneers.

Who can get veneers?

Not everyone is a good candidate for veneers. Here are some reasons why your dentist may suggest treatments other than veneers:

• If a tooth has decay or is in an area that has periodontal disease (gum disease). These problems must be treated first.
• If a tooth has little enamel left, a veneer will not stick to it properly.
• If too much of the tooth is missing, a crown may be another option.
• If a person grinds or clenches his or her teeth. This habit is called bruxism and can chip or break porcelain veneers.

What else should I know?

• Just like your natural teeth, your veneered tooth needs to be brushed and flossed daily.
• If the veneers are not fully placed or sealed onto your tooth, stains or cavities can form under the veneer.
• Once you have veneers, you cannot reverse the treatment because part of your enamel has been removed.
• If veneer chips or peels off, or if a cavity forms under a veneer, the veneer must be redone. The other option is to put a crown on the tooth.
• Constantly grinding or clenching your teeth may cause your bonding or veneers to chip or break.
• Porcelain veneers and bonded teeth can be chipped if you are not careful when biting or tearing into hard or chewy foods.
• Cosmetic dental treatments like bonding or veneers might not be covered by your dental plan.

What is bonding?

Bonding, also known as bonded restoration, is a painless way to make minor repairs to teeth. In most cases, several teeth can be bonded in one dental visit. Bonding uses tooth-coloured material, called composite resin. Composite resin is put on the tooth, then shaped and hardened with light. The composite resin can be:

• Matched to your teeth.
• Used on a broken tooth to restore it to size.
• Shaped to look like the missing part of a chipped tooth.
• Used to build up teeth and fill between them.
• Painted over a stained tooth to make it match the colour of your other teeth.

Here is an example of a patient who could not afford a crown. Bonding was an option, so the decay was removed, a bonded restoration was placed and polished, and he was thrilled with the result. With such damage, he will eventually require a crown.

For More Information About Veneers or Bonding, Contact Us Today – We Would Love to Bring Your Smile Back.

If you have any questions about veneers or bonding to help correct a tooth, contact us at (604) 536-6711 today. You will be happy with the results you can achieve if you have any of these services done. For other dental services here in White Rock/South Surrey BC contact us today.

Check out other dental services we offer.

• Preventative and Maintenance Dentistry
• Comprehensive Dentistry
• Aesthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry
• Oral Surgery Dentistry
• Pediatric/Child Dentistry
• Emergency Dentistry
• Technology