Gentle Care Dentistry & Implants
General Dentist & Dental Implant Provider located in Sierra Vista, AZ
Porcelain Veneers in Sierra Vista, AZ
Perfect and Illuminate Your Smile!
Do you dream of a smile makeover with straight, bright white teeth? Porcelain veneers may be the solution you’re looking for. With advanced techniques and materials, Dr. Kent Hales at Gentle Care Dentistry and Implants creates stunning porcelain veneers that look and feel completely natural.
Call (520) 257-2749 to schedule your cosmetic dentistry consultation with our Sierra Vista, AZ, dentist. We’ll help you decide whether they’re the right choice to transform your smile.
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells made of ceramic that bond directly and permanently to the front surface of teeth. They’re custom-crafted and precisely shaped to improve the appearance of your smile by:
- Masking Discoloration: Dental veneers can hide teeth stains from coffee, wine, smoking, medications, and more that don’t respond to professional teeth whitening treatments. The porcelain covers stained enamel with a bright white, opaque surface.
- Fixing Chips and Gaps: Small chips or gaps between teeth easily disappear with dental veneers. The porcelain shells recreate the look of smooth, complete teeth.
- Misshapen Teeth: Dental veneers can lengthen, widen, or change the overall form of misshapen teeth that may be uneven or too small.
- Providing a Quick Smile Makeover: Because dental veneers attach directly to the surface of existing teeth, you can transform your smile in as little as two office visits without months of orthodontics.
What Can Porcelain Veneers Fix?
Our cosmetic dentist can use porcelain veneers to correct and conceal a host of cosmetic imperfections. Dr. Hales may recommend this cosmetic solution to patients whose teeth are:
- Stained, yellowed, or discolored
- Chipped, cracked, or broken
- Misaligned or crooked
- Unevenly spaced
- Misshapen
To learn if dental veneers may be right for you, schedule an appointment at our Sierra Vista dental practice today by calling (520) 458-9460. Dr. Hales will assess your situation and discuss your other treatment options, if necessary.
Benefits of Porcelain Veneers
Along with improving the aesthetic appearance of your smile, porcelain veneers offer these advantages:
- Natural Translucency: High-quality porcelain looks luminous while allowing some light to pass through, much like natural tooth enamel. The life-like translucency integrates dental veneers seamlessly with surrounding natural teeth.
- Extreme Durability: Today’s dental ceramics are exceptionally tough and fracture-resistant. With proper care, porcelain veneers can last 20 years or longer before replacement becomes necessary.
- Stain Resistance: Non-porous porcelain doesn’t absorb stains or odors as it wears. You can confidently drink coffee, red wine, and soda without dental veneers yellowing over time.
- Minimal Tooth Reduction: Because they’re so thin, preparing teeth for dental veneers requires removing only a small amount of the outer enamel. This preservation of tooth structure is key for long-term dental health.
- Reversibility: While porcelain veneers are intended to be long-term, it’s possible to remove them if desired without damaging the underlying tooth structure.
Candidates for Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are suitable for individuals seeking cosmetic improvement of minor dental flaws or discoloration. Good candidates have healthy teeth and gums but want to enhance their smiles with one or more of these cosmetic fixes:
- Whiter, Brighter Smile: If professional whitening hasn’t produced the desired results, veneers are a proven way to boost brightness, especially if staining affects only front teeth.
- Minor Chips or Worn Teeth: Small flaws that detract from an otherwise attractive smile can disappear with seamless porcelain covers. However, dental veneers cannot fix severely damaged teeth.
- Minor Misalignments or Gaps: Dental veneers can lengthen or fill gaps between close-positioned natural teeth for a full, uniform look. Yet orthodontics may still be needed for major overlapping or crowding issues.
- Permanently Stained Teeth: Teeth irrevocably stained from trauma, antibiotic use in childhood, or other causes that don’t bleach white enough can attain new opacity and color with composite veneers.
The Porcelain Veneers Process at Gentle Care Dentistry and Implants
Interested if you may be a good porcelain veneer candidate? Here’s an overview of the process at Gentle Care Dentistry and Implant:
Initial Exam
Dr. Hales performs a comprehensive dental evaluation, gathering records and impressions to determine if veneers can achieve your cosmetic vision and meet dental health requirements. If composite veneers aren’t the right treatment, Dr. Hales may recommend other cosmetic dentistry services like dental crowns or bridges and teeth whitening.
Treatment Planning
At your consultation visit, Dr. Hales thoughtfully advises on tooth preparation, shape, size, and composite resin shade based on the exam records, impressions and photos, your aesthetic goals, lip dynamics, and bite. Together, you’ll decide on a treatment plan for optimal results.
Tooth Preparation
On treatment day, Dr. Hales delicately shaves a small amount of each tooth’s original enamel to accommodate veneer shells. Gentle Care Dentistry utilizes advanced technology like lasers for rapid, comfortable enamel removal before taking final impressions.
Custom Veneer Fabrication and Placement
Highly skilled dental ceramists handcraft your final prescription composite veneers from the master impressions. At insertion two to three weeks later, Dr. Hales checks fit and appearance before bonding each veneer in place with light-cured resin cement for seamless integration.
Follow-Up Visits
Dr. Hales will see you shortly after delivery to evaluate your adjustment to the composite veneers and make any minor modifications for optimal function and aesthetics. He’ll also review the care and maintenance of your new smile!
Caring For Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers require good oral care habits to achieve longevity. Dr. Hales gives all veneer patients these simple yet essential care instructions:
- Maintain Impeccable Oral Hygiene: Prevent plaque buildup and inflammation by brushing twice and flossing once daily. Use non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste suitable for porcelain. See your hygienist regularly for professional cleanings.
- Avoid Clenching and Grinding: Reduce stress when possible and wear a nightguard to protect against cracking or debonding from excessive biting forces during sleep.
- Go Easy When Chewing Hard Foods: Cut sticky candy, nuts, ice, and other hard foods into pieces instead of biting directly. Don’t use your teeth to open bottles or bags.
- See Dr. Hales Annually: Attend recommended dental checkups so Dr. Hales can examine veneer integrity and spot issues early before they require intervention.
By caring well for porcelain veneers, you can confidently smile, knowing your beautiful transformation should last many years!
Patients typically report very little, if any, pain or sensitivity during the tooth preparation and veneer placement appointments. Your dentist will numb the area well beforehand for a comfortable experience.
It can take as little as two to three weeks from your initial exam to complete treatment. One appointment is needed to prepare the teeth and take impressions, and your custom-designed veneers will be ready for bonding about two weeks later.
Dental veneers cost anywhere from $925 to $1,500 per tooth. The final price depends on factors like how many teeth need treatment and your treatment plan. Explore payment plans and more with your dentist to help offset some of the treatment costs.
Your dentist may recommend whitening your teeth first for the best cosmetic outcome. Otherwise, just continue your regular oral hygiene routine and avoid hard or sticky foods that could chip your teeth leading up to the procedure.
Discover Your Custom Smile Makeover with Porcelain Veneers
Ready to learn more about enhancing your smile with porcelain veneers? Call Gentle Care Dentistry and Implant today at (520) 257-2749 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Kent Hales. Bring in your questions and cosmetic dental goals — we’re here to help with a warm, consultative approach to care! We welcome patients from Whetstone, Huachuca City, and Hereford, AZ.