Veneers – Farmington, CT
From Average to Outstanding in Just a Few Steps
Your smile is capable of speaking volumes about your personality and who you are, but if you tend to hide your teeth due to dental imperfections, the real you may not be shining through. At Farmington Valley Dental, Dr. Thomas Peters and his team specialize in helping men and women just like you achieve and maintain healthy, beautiful smiles with a variety of general, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry solutions. One of the ways we help our patients rediscover confidence in their smiles involves dental veneers in Farmington.
What Are Dental Veneers?
Veneers are ultra-thin, custom-fitted sheaths of dental ceramic that are bonded to the front surfaces of your teeth. Meticulously crafted to look and feel like natural teeth, veneers are capable of correcting a wide variety of common cosmetic flaws, including:
- Deep, set-in stains that are resistant to professional teeth whitening treatments
- Chips or cracks in enamel
- Uneven spacing between teeth
- Mild to moderate misalignment or crowding
- Gaps between teeth
- Teeth that appear too small in relation to surrounding teeth
- Misshapen teeth that mar the appearance of an otherwise uniform smile
The Process of Getting Veneers
Veneer treatment begins with an initial consultation with Dr. Peters, an experienced cosmetic dentist in Farmington. He will carefully evaluate your smile, listen to the exact changes you have in mind, and help you visualize the end result. This may involve a diagnostic model, reviewing photos of similar case outcomes, or using a computer enhancement program to provide you with several options prior to performing the procedure.
Next, Dr. Peters will prepare your teeth by removing a tiny sliver of enamel – usually less than a millimeter. This ensures that your new smile with veneers won’t look bulky or unnatural.
After your teeth are prepped, we’ll take some impressions to send to the dental laboratory. There, specialists will use the impressions of your teeth to create your custom veneers.
Permanent veneers typically take a couple weeks to craft. In the meantime, we will provide you with temporary veneers to protect your teeth while you wait. Once your permanent veneers arrive at our office, we will welcome you back so Dr. Peters can remove your temporary veneers and securely attach your permanent ones. You will be able to leave this second appointment with your dazzling new smile!
The Benefits of Veneers
Veneers are a fantastic cosmetic option if you want to transform your teeth into a dazzling smile fit for a Hollywood red carpet. The many benefits of veneers include:
- Minimally invasive procedure
- Natural-looking results
- Enhanced color, size, and shape of teeth
- Results that last up to 15 years with proper care
Understanding the Cost of Cosmetic Dentistry
When you’re in the process of getting veneers, the thing that you should be thinking about is how it’s going to feel to have a brand-new smile, and the confidence that it’ll afford you. Unfortunately, however, many patients are too preoccupied with the cost of treatment to enjoy those things.
We want you to appreciate all the things that veneers have to offer, so we try and be as transparent about pricing as we can possibly be. Here’s some information you may find useful.
Cost VS Cosmetic Dentistry: What’s Right for Me?
When picking any kind of cosmetic procedure, you’ll have to think about not only what you want your future smile to look like, but what you’re able to budget for. If the cost of veneers makes you a little bit nervous, you’d probably be happy to learn that there are a variety of different cosmetic dental procedures at a variety of price points.
On the lower end of the price spectrum, direct bonding and teeth whitening are incredibly effective at handling niche issues. Direct bonding can patch up small areas of damage, and teeth whitening can brighten your smile.
Then there’s Invisalign aligners, which are designed to straighten the teeth. These can be a bit pricey, but after the treatment is complete, your smile is likely to look completely different from how it did before.
Finally, while veneers can sometimes be expensive, they’re also incredibly powerful. They’re capable of whitening, straightening, and repairing your smile all at once. Moreover, they can do all of this in just two appointments! With that in mind, it’s easy to see why they cost what they do.
How to Make Veneers Affordable
As you may know, veneers are unlikely to be covered by insurance. That being the case, you’re likely to have to find other ways to make veneers more affordable than you would otherwise.
Lucky for you, we offer flexible payment options that can make affording care considerably easier. We also accept financing from Citi Card, offering short-term, no-interest financing or loans on a longer term.
With this in mind, you should be able to get the smile that you’ve always dreamed of, even on a budget.
Veneer FAQs
Are Veneers Permanent?
Sometimes, patients get confused because the word “irreversible” is used when talking about veneers. However, this refers to the fact that the alterations to your enamel (although minor) cannot be undone. In other words, you will need veneers moving forward.
Is There Anything I Can’t Eat with Veneers?
There aren’t any dietary restrictions with veneers. That said, there are certain foods we recommend avoiding to keep your smile in pristine condition. Sour gummy worms are a great example because they are acidic, sticky, and packed with sugar. Hard pretzels are another food we recommend avoiding because the tough consistency increases the chances of a chip, crack, or fracture. Basically, you should exercise caution with crunchy, hard, and sticky foods and focus on filling your diet with softer, more nutrient-dense ones instead.
Will I Still Be Able to Drink Coffee with Veneers?
Yes, you will still be able to drink coffee with veneers! We do recommend using a straw because – even though your veneers are stain-resistant – your teeth are not. For the same reason, we encourage patients to rinse their mouth thoroughly with clean, cool water afterward and brush their teeth about 20 minutes later. These may seem like small habits, but they play a huge role in preventing dental discoloration.
Do Veneers Feel Like Real Teeth?
They do! This is largely because they are custom-made for each patient, which ensures they don’t protrude unnaturally or feel bulky. Veneers are also crafted from high-quality dental materials, like porcelain, which are incredibly smooth. So, you don’t have to worry – they will feel as great as they look.
Is There Anyone Who Shouldn’t Get Veneers?
Since veneers can fix everything from small chips to permanent discoloration, it’s safe to say that they are incredibly versatile. They aren’t for everyone, however. If your teeth are severely rotated out of position, then you need braces – at least initially. This cosmetic dental service also isn’t recommended for patients who have decayed teeth or infected gums. If that’s the case for you, then it’s important that we intervene with the necessary restorative care before discussing any cosmetic treatments.
Is It Painful to Get Veneers?
If you’re concerned that the smile makeover process will hurt, don’t worry – we will numb your mouth to ensure you don’t feel any pain or discomfort. We will also provide you with a few helpful tips to prevent bonding sensitivity in the days after, like avoiding hot/cold stimuli. That way, the entire treatment process is as comfortable as possible for you.
Schedule Your Veneers Consultation
Dr. Peters and our caring, experienced team genuinely look forward to helping you achieve the luminous, flawless smile you want and deserve. Contact us today to schedule your cosmetic dentistry consultation, and see for yourself how easy it can be to regain your confidence and your smile with veneers. Our state-of-the-art dental office in Farmington proudly serves patients from throughout the surrounding communities, including Newington, West Hartford, Hartford, Wethersfield, Bristol, New Britain, and beyond.