Veneers in Lexington
At Palmetto Dental Associates in Lexington, South Carolina, we offer a wide variety of cosmetic dentistry services including porcelain veneers. Our doctors have extensive training in comprehensive esthetic dentistry and they also teach continuing education courses to other dental professionals. If you have been dreaming of transforming your smile with cosmetic dentistry in Lexington, give us a call today at (803) 808-0888. We are currently accepting new patients, so schedule your cosmetic consultation today!
What Are Veneers?
Veneers are thin tooth-shaped porcelain dental prosthetics that are designed to cover the front surface of your teeth. Because veneers are completely custom-made, they can treat a wide variety of cosmetic issues. Porcelain veneers cover stains, chips, broken teeth, gaps, and even misshapen or slightly crooked teeth. Since veneers are so versatile, they are a great option for many patients and you are likely a good candidate for cosmetic dental veneers. It is important to know, however, that tooth decay and/or periodontal disease must be treated prior to cosmetic dentistry so that your restorations will be placed on a healthy foundation.
What Is the Process of Getting Veneers?
It is very important to note that for dental veneers, faster is not always better. If a dental office tells you they can complete your veneers in one visit, be sure to proceed with caution. At Palmetto Dental Associates in Lexington, SC, our doctors use four specially reserved appointments to work together with you to make sure your porcelain veneers are exactly as you want them, intricately detailed, and that they give you the “wow” smile you’ve always dreamed of. You can find comfort in the fact that there is zero guess work with our process.
At your first appointment, you will have a cosmetic consultation with either Dr. Shull or Dr. Thomas, both of whom have completed countless hours of post-grad training. During this visit, your doctor will get to know you and understand your smile goals while walking you through your treatment options. If your teeth are well-suited for veneers, our experienced and caring team will work with you to develop a treatment plan that addresses your individual needs, your schedule, and your budget.
During your second appointment, we will collect important diagnostic information including 3-D intra-oral scans (which takes the place of traditional gooey impressions) and a series of dental photographs that will be emailed to our state-of-the-art dental lab partner (CMR Dental Lab, https://teamaesthetic.com/). Our lab team and doctor will create a custom digital design of your new smile. We will then 3D print your models and create a matrix to be your next appointment so that your temporary veneers look just like your new smile design.
Your third appointment will be the day we slightly reshape your teeth and insert your custom designed temporary veneers. You will go home after this appointment with beautiful temporaries that will give you a preview of the final veneers. During the next two weeks you have the opportunity to confirm that you love the shape and look of your temporaries and the doctor will make any changes you desire. We then relay all new information to our lab partners and they complete the final porcelain veneers and send them to our office.
“Delivery day!” is your fourth appointment. We will remove the temporary restorations and try in your new porcelain veneers with try-in paste. You will be able to walk around the office, looking in mirrors to make sure you like everything about your new veneers. Once you have approved them, your doctor will bond them in place, check your bite, and polish the porcelain to feel just like natural teeth. You are now ready to go out and enjoy your beautiful new smile!
How Do I Care for My Veneers?
Veneers are very durable, however, there are some steps you should take to prevent premature damage to your new smile. It is important to avoid using your teeth as tools to open packages or to chew on non-food items such as pens, pencils, or fingernails. Remember to only use soft bristle tooth brushes with non-abrasive tooth paste. Also, if you clench or grind your teeth, it is important that you wear a custom fit appliance at night to protect your veneers and also your natural teeth. Other than that, you can care for your teeth as you normally would! Continue to brush your teeth twice a day, floss once a day, and come in for cleanings and checkups every six months.
About Dental Veneers - Before & After
Dr. Frankie Shull and Dr. Caroline Thomas both specialize in porcelain veneers. If you desire for your teeth to look more uniform, whiter, longer, or wider, then veneers may be for you. Veneers are thin porcelain coverings that are permanently bonded to the front of your teeth leaving the tongue-side of the teeth untouched. Sometimes teeth do not require any prepping prior to veneers, and other times, a small amount of tooth material may need to be removed to make room for the restoration. Veneers are a conservative dental procedure that yield a huge aesthetic benefit. Take a look at some of our success stories below:
It is now possible to have a white Hollywood smile with porcelain veneers while keeping them looking like natural teeth! Hunter wanted to once again feel confident and not be embarrassed to smile. At his initial consult, he shared that he would like longer, wider teeth that fit his face and looked similar to how his teeth used to look before they eroded away. Hunter says that he really appreciated the carefully planned out process and the fact that he got to provide input on how his new porcelain restorations would look. He brought in photos of his “goal teeth” and worked with Dr. Thomas to design his beautiful full-mouth makeover!
Veneers can be extremely thin, similar to contact lenses. The eight porcelain veneers shown here were only 0.1mm in thickness! Tiffini is a dental assistant who wanted to close the gaps between her front teeth, while still preserving her natural enamel. Ceramic veneers were used to make her teeth more proportional and truly gave her a WOW smile! We commonly get asked how long veneers last. With proper care, they can last many years! - There are 12 years between the photographs on the left and the full-face photo on the right. Tiffini’s smile photo is on display at our office and her teeth are some of the most commonly requested tooth shape by our patients.
Porcelain veneers are often used to make teeth appear straighter, longer, and whiter. Lou is a man’s man and had never before considered cosmetic dentistry. After retiring from 38 years in corporate sales, he enjoys spending his retirement hunting and at the beach with his family and five grandchildren. The edges of his top front teeth kept chipping and he mentioned that he would like for his bottom teeth to be straighter but did not particularly want to devote the time to orthodontics. By whitening his teeth and then utilizing four veneers on the top and four veneers on the bottom, Lou was able to have the smile of his dreams and he says he now often receives compliments on his amazing smile!
Porcelain veneers can be used to give your whole mouth a beautiful makeover! Jackie wanted a whiter, more youthful smile and had thought about restoring her teeth for some time. She knew she needed to protect her teeth from further wear and restore them to their original shape and color. Through the process, her bite was also rebuilt to be more even and well balanced. Now Jackie not only has an incredibly aesthetic smile, but she says her bite has never before felt this comfortable. Her new teeth suit her personality so well and truly help her to live life to the fullest!