This treatment is a cosmetic solution for certain dental disorders which affect your appearance negatively. It basically improves the appearance of the front teeth with aesthetic problems by bonding them with very thin porcelain plates. The solid structure and unchanging colour of dental laminates is ideal for adding natural beauty and restoring natural functions. With laminate veneers, you can smile with confidence! Veneers are wafer-thin, semi-translucent plates made of porcelain. Veneers are prepared and meticulously placed onto the tooth. Front and exterior side of the tooth are bonded with a special resin (an intermediate adhesive), ensuring a perfect fit and solid attachment.
In which conditions is a Laminate treatment appropriate?
Laminate veneers are used to address changes in the colour and shape of the tooth, to a certain level. The major application areas are as follows:
- When bleaching procedures are insufficient in correcting advanced changes in the tooth’s colour and structure, including staining due to antibiotic or fluorine use, etc.,
- For joining separated teeth (closing diastema)
- For restoring broken or eroded teeth,
- For repairing old fillings with an altered colour and structure,
- For the correction of oblique or curved teeth (as an orthodontic treatment alternative)
- An alternative for cosmetic treatments.
Who can benefit from Laminate treatment?
Anyone, of any age, with the aforementioned complaints may benefit from laminate treatment. But, the treatment is not suitable for jaw distortions, advanced gingival destruction, or for patients with adverse habits such as nail biting or pencil chewing. A dentist will make the final decision on this matter.
What are the clinical stages of Laminate veneers?
First, the tooth is thoroughly cleansed of any residue, to prepare for the treatment. An impression is taken, to obtain the exact dimensions of the tooth. The layer from porcelain material is produced and, in the final step, bonded to the surface of the tooth with resin (an adhesive intermediary material).
How long do laminate veneers last and are they durable?
With proper oral and dental care, laminate veneers can last for many years without any problems. Because they are made from porcelain, which has superior properties compared to other types of adhesive (bonding) systems, laminate veneers are more resistant to staining and erosion. Attention must be paid to oral hygiene and care for longer life. However, patients are advised to steer clear of bad habits such as consuming hard foods and nail biting.
What are the advantages of Laminate veneers?
When you cannot smile with confidence due to tooth decay, erosion, chipping or structural abnormalities, it is possible to renew the natural beauty of teeth with this method. While fillings and full crowning used to be the only viable solutions, today there are alternatives – such as laminate treatment. The advantages of this new method include:
- With very little intervention, a healthy and natural appearance is reinstated in a short time,
- It is enough to open a small slot on your tooth (even if it is not always necessary),
- Laminates are manufactured from durable, strong materials that, mainly, retain their colour,
- Giving teeth the desired aesthetic characteristics – without spoiling their natural appearance – is possible only with laminate veneer. It is possible to give your teeth an excellent appearance which requires none or very little interference with the original tooth. In fact, the amount removed from your teeth is limited to 0.3-1.0 mm in thickness.
- The laboratory stage of the treatment is only four to eight days, though it may take an additional three to four weeks for your lips to adapt to this new appearance. We recommend that patients do lip exercises and read about the procedure during this adaptation stage. At the end of this stage, patients can smile brightly and comfortably with confidence, showing off revitalized teeth that look completely natural and are completely integrated with the face.
- An impression of your teeth, which you are not happy with, can be taken and designed. In other words, we can demonstrate you the changes that will take place before the treatment commences.
- Porcelain surfaces are smoother than the surface of natural teeth; therefore, staining caused by cigarettes or similar reasons is minimized, as is the formation of tartar.
- The colour will remain stable due to external factors such as coffee, tea, cigarettes.
- As a material, porcelain is fragile. But when it is completely bonded onto enamel, its ability to withstand strain and stress strengths rise considerably. For example, it is not possible to remove the bonded veneer from the tooth’s surface. It can only be removed from the tooth’s surface by a special diamond-tipped drill.
What are the disadvantages of Laminate veneers?
- While laminate veneers are superior to other methods of restoration, however they are also slightly more expensive.
- The technique is a delicate one, requiring high quality work from the clinic and laboratory; and also requiring the dentist and the dental technician to possess impeccable expertise, technical knowledge and artistic skills.
Please consult your dentist for detailed information.