I want to change my smile, what are my options?
If you’re ready to change the shape and shade of your teeth or correct minor misalignment, crowns or veneers are a great option. Both can be made to match your existing teeth if you only want to change a few of them, or they can be made to change your whole smile.
What is the difference between crowns and veneers?
The main difference between a crown and a veneer is that a crown covers your whole tooth, front, back, and sides. A veneer covers mainly the front surface of your tooth- so they’re used on the teeth that show when you smile. Some veneers can wrap around the sides of the teeth to give the veneer more surface to hold onto for stability.
Both can be used cosmetically to change the look of your smile, but most of the time veneers are used for strictly cosmetic purposes and crowns are used when the tooth has decay or if you’re a heavy grinder at risk of popping veneers off.
Both are made of porcelain, which is durable and looks very natural.
What can I expect from the crown or veneer process?
At our office, once you’ve decided to go ahead with your smile makeover, we’ll have a design consultation with you to determine what you want your smile to look like. We’ll take lots of photos as well as a diagnostic impression or digital scan of your teeth.
We’ll make a mock-up of your new smile so you can see what your teeth will look like before we prepare them for your final crown or veneers. At this point, any changes that you might want to make to the shape or size of the teeth will be made. We’ll also use the mock-up to create your temporary crown or veneers, so you can live in your new smile while your permanent crown or veneers are being made.
Once you’ve tested your new smile and are satisfied with how everything looks, we’ll make your permanent restorations. While your new smile is being made, you’ll be living in “temporaries.”
When your crowns or veneers are ready, we’ll take off your temporaries and place the permanent ones. Voila! You now have a beautiful new smile!
How long will this process take?
Creating a new smile can take a while and we want you to be happy with yours. Most cases can take up to a month to complete, so keep that in mind when looking to change your smile before an event, like a wedding, or traveling. There will be multiple appointments and you may have to be numb for more than one appointment.
Will my new crowns or veneers be like real teeth?
While crowns and veneers are very strong, they can still break, chip, or pop off. As we do with real teeth, we highly recommend not using your front teeth to bite into hard foods or use them to tear open things.
We may also require that you get a nightguard or plastic retainer to protect your teeth at night if you are a grinder or clencher.
Weddings, vacation, or reunion coming up this summer? For Tulsa City Lifestyle readers, Perfect Smile Tulsa is offering a special price on smile makeovers. When you’re ready to freshen up your smile, give them a call at 918.863.2474 and mention this article. PerfectSmileTulsa.com