VENEERS

If you've ever considered getting veneers—a thin wafer of porcelain that is permanently bonded to a tooth to mask its color, shape, or positioning in the mouth—read this first to fully understand the experience, courtesy of Michael Apa, DDS, a cosmetic dentist in NYC, LA, and Dubai (aka THE sculpture of smiles—I mean, his namemay as well be Michaelangelo). Because veneers are A) forever (well, kind of) and B) very pricey.

1. You need to go to someone AH-mazing to get realistically awesome results

This is an aesthetic procedure but it’s also a serious dental procedure (!!), so you’re going to want to see the cosmetic dentist's work to make sure they're good and that you like their style. Also, make sure you approve of their before and afters, and that you're able to see their work 10 years later and still like it. Think of veneers like a boob-job for your mouth...you're going to want to make sure you like those babies before they're put in because getting them taken out is, like, NOT a fun experience—that and you want them to look ~rEaL~.

2. Veneers aren't a must, but they are an option.

Anyone can benefit from veneers if you don't like the look of your teeth or overall smile, but Smith and van Lieorp we mainly sees people who want to correct an underlying issue. For example, patients who don't want to undergo braces (again!) yet still have crooked teeth, others who don't like the color of their teeth and want to whiten them permanently, and some patients who have chipped front teeth or have one gray front tooth from trauma, or who've simply had thicker porcelain veneers done in the past and want a more natural finish.

3. One smile does not fit everyone.

"Patients comes in with an idea of what they don’t like about their teeth, and then my job is to take what they don’t like and actually make it work for them." FYI: Unlike hairstyles, you can't just take a picture of Gigi Hadid into his or someone else's office and say I want her exact smile, please!, because what works for her face won't work for yours. We believe that every person is unique and that every smile is unique. That is why we do everything customised. First we discuss with the patient what is possible based off of their wants. We also take into account their personality, how they talk, the expressions they make, how high their actual smile goes verses a social smile, etc., and then we make sure they get the smile they want, while making sure their teeth also work functionally so they can still eat. Then, there are two ways to trial a smile: One is a direct sculpting of a temporary composite that is created and placed on top of their teeth to show them what we can achieve, and the second is to use technology to create a digital rendering that's comprised of multiple pictures taken of the patient. Using 3D, our team can show the patient their proposed new smile and we go from there."

4. Imperfections = perfection.

We don’t believe in making teeth look perfect; instead, we want to maintain the character of your smile, while enhancing it. We also don't want our dental work to be noticeable; we want people to look at our patients and think I feel like they did something, but I can't tell what it is. It is about understanding our patient so that the veneers look like the teeth they were actually born with. Because that’s really aesthetic. When you give people back something that looks foreign, you’re not giving the patient back what their familiar with.."

8. After you discuss your veneer wants and needs, temporary versions are made.

To make sure you're going to like what you just discussed with your dentist, a mold of your teeth is taken and temporary veneers are then made out of a liquid composite. Think of it like a blueprint for your teeth. We specifically sculpts what your new smile will look like, so that he can take pictures of you and decide whether or not you'd like to move forward. They won't be as shiny as the porcelain veneer and are a little bulkier, but don't worry, they're only...temporary. These are important for you to understand what the finals could possibly look like

11. "Prep" doesn't mean your tooth is about to be shaved to a small nothing of a nub.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, we don’t need to shave away more than .5 millimeters to gain all the space we need to create the perfect result. What makes our teeth different than most is that we design the final smile before we even start, so it allows us to be super minimal when it comes to what we have to do to prep are the teeth.

12. You can either get partial (they don't cover your entire tooth) or full (they cover your entire tooth) veneers.

Every case is different, you can either have the porcelain put right on top of your teeth, based on your needs, or, at the very most, you'll need .5 millimeters of reduction for a full-coverage veneer.

15. Before the multi-hour application process begins,you'll be numbed with a localized anesthesia.

Regardless of whether you choose composite veneers or full veneers, you will be undergoing a medical procedure, so local anaesthesia is required. Think of it as plastic surgery for your teeth. Depending on how many veneers you're getting, you could be in the chair for hours. For example, for 10 teeth it's about four hours per session.

Fifty percent of patients get bonding sensitivity, which is a reaction between your teeth and the bonding cement. The extreme pain it comes with can last six hours after the anaesthesia wears off, followed by a dull pain that comes in waves. Consider Ibuprofen during that time period. Days after the procedure, there is often an adjustment period where your bite might feel off and you feel zings of pain. If either occurs, see your dentist so they can make slight changes to your teeth and clear away any excess microscopic pieces of cement stuck between your teeth. These follow-ups are all free.

In addition to possible bonding sensitivity, there's an overall healingprocess your gums go through, because they need to reform aroundthe new teeth.

That said, this is all temporary pain. We assure you that every single one of our patients forgets they’ve had their teeth done because they *feel* like their natural set after a month or so.