Chiclets are for Chewing-Not Your Veneers
|February 28, 2018
Veneers have been available for nearly a century, and in that time the quality has changed drastically. From fake tooth caps that came at the worst moments to teeth that look natural, veneers have improved in many ways. If you’re worried about the appearance or durability or appearance of veneers, read on to learn how impressive this dental technology has truly become.
Today’s Porcelain Veneers
Today’s veneers give you a choice between no-preparation veneers and traditional veneers.
No preparation veneers are fitted directly over your existing natural teeth with no removal or shaving of your natural teeth required.
With traditional veneers, we will remove a tiny amount of enamel from the teeth to receive the veneer. After, we make an impression of these teeth to have a veneer crafted specifically for it. Generally, it may take 2 to 4 weeks for the process, so you may opt for temporary veneers during the interim.
Prior to permanently placing the veneers, we double and triple check the veneer’s fit and appearance in your mouth. We can fine tune the veneer color as well. For a perfect fit, we can trim the veneer down as needed. Then we clean, polish, and etch your teeth to that the veneer will bond to them. Even after the veneer has been placed and cemented, we can still make fit and bite adjustments, although that’s rarely necessary. Today’s veneers last between 10 to 30 years, which makes them an excellent improvement over the older models that frequently fell out of place.
No More Chiclets Teeth
Older style veneers earned the nickname “chiclets” teeth, because they frequently appeared fake, overly white, overly big, and not a natural shape. Teeth that are exactly, perfectly straight (straighter than even braces can achieve) also look like chiclets teeth. Initially, people getting veneers ended up with this result, because the focus was on making teeth look perfect. Even if a dentist only used one or two veneers to cover a spotted or damage tooth, that veneer would stand out either because it didn’t match in shape or color with the rest of the teeth.
In fact, people have realized that subtle flaws in someone’s smile help it look more natural, and more attractive. After seeing too many chiclets smiles on Hollywood stars, patients receiving veneers began to request a more natural look. That doesn’t mean veneers that look like the same teeth that are being covered up, but veneers that are a tiny bit flawed in an aesthetically pleasing way. It’s more expensive, but very worth it. After all, the wrong set of veneers can look foreign inside your mouth. The aim is to make them look like they belong to you, and you just got lucky with almost white, almost perfect teeth.
A Natural Smile with Veneers
To prevent that fake “chiclets teeth” look, we take more time and effort crafting and applying veneers. We collaborate with the people responsible for creating the porcelain caps in specialized labs, achieving subtle translucency on the edges, the right shape to match your real teeth, and a perfect contour are all part of it. Creating a natural color that matches your existing teeth while still looking attractively white is another important aspect of good veneers. When you come to Floss, we put this kind of effort into creating and applying your veneers, you’ll end up with a gorgeous smile that looks almost perfect, and totally real.
Whether you need to have a stained or unattractive tooth capped, or you want to fix significant problems with your visible teeth, veneers can provide that smile for you. Contact us at Floss for a consultation to learn more about how we can improve your smile.