Are Veneers Bad For Your Teeth

You see them all over. On TV, in magazines, and on your social media. Shiny, perfect, nice smiles. You want one also. Everybody want one, right? But then you hear bad stories. The scary stories about people get their teeth cut down to small stubs. You worry, “Are veneers bad for your teeth?” Is a big scare. You feel trapped. You want a good smile but you are scared to mess up your real teeth for all time. In this article, I will tell you the real story. No fancy words. I tell you what I learn from many years helping people with this thing. We will see the good things, the bad things, and what you must for sure know before you get veneers.

What Is a Veneer, and Why All People Want Them?

So we all understand. A veneer is a very thin cover, mostly from porcelain, made special to fit on the front of your tooth. Is like a fake nail, but for your tooth. It is for change the color, shape, size, or how long the tooth is. You can get one for one broken tooth or many to make your smile all new. It is a strong thing for making you look better.

Why everyone want them is easy. They fix many problems in one time. You have stains that teeth whitening don’t fix? Veneers can cover them. Your teeth are a little crooked but you dont want braces for years? Veneers can make them look very straight. You have little spaces or chips because you bite a fork? Veneers fix that too. They are a fast and big fix for the things that make people hide their smile in pictures.

Is all for feeling good. A nice smile, it can change how you feel inside. It can make you feel more wanting to talk to people, more like you win, and more happy to meet people. That is the big promise of veneers and that is why they is so popular. They are not just something a dentist do; for many people, they feel like making your life better.

So, They Really Cut Your Teeth to Little Pegs?

This is the biggest scare I hear all the time. And to be honest, is the biggest fake story. You maybe see scary pictures on the internet. Teeth are like small “shark teeth” before they put veneers on. I tell you clear: that is not how good veneers is done now. Those pictures is for old ways of doing it, or for full crowns, not veneers. A crown, it cover the whole tooth like a hat. A veneer cover just the front.

For a veneer to look real and not fat, a little bit of your tooth enamel has to be take off. How much? We talk about half a millimeter. That is like how thick a fingernail is. The plan is to make just a little room so the porcelain cover fit flat with your other teeth. Sometimes, with what we call “no-prep” or “minimal-prep” veneers, they take almost no enamel off at all.

The bad stories you see, they are because of a dentist who dont know how, or using an old way. A good dentist, his big goal is to save your real tooth as much as he can. They think your enamel is like gold. So no, you will not have little pegs. You will have teeth look just like your teeth, but a little bit different shape to make room for their new pretty fronts.

Will Getting Veneers Hurt? Let’s Talk on the Process.

People also ask about pain. Nobody like pain, specially at the dentist. The fast answer is no, getting veneers is not supposed to hurt. Here is why. The whole thing is usually done with medicine to make you numb. That is the same thing you get for a filling. It make the teeth and gums have no feeling, so you feel nothing when they work on the tooth.

The process is two times you go to dentist. First time you go, your dentist get your teeth ready by taking off that small layer of enamel. Then they take a shape or a computer scan of your teeth. This goes to the dental lab to make your special veneers. You leave with not-real veneers to keep your teeth safe while they make your real ones. Maybe you feel a little ouch for a day or two, but is very small.

Like two weeks after, you go back the second time. Your dentist take off the not-real veneers and then glue the real, special-made ones on your teeth. They will check how it fits and how you bite to be sure all is good. The most you can feel is your gums hurt a little bit, but it go away fast.

Can Veneers Make Cavities or Other Dental Sickness?

This is a good question because it is about your long time teeth health. A veneer can not get a cavity. Is made of porcelain. But the real tooth under it, yes it can. The back and sides of your tooth are still there and you have to brush and floss them like any other tooth.

The real problem is from a veneer that don’t fit good. If is little spaces where the veneer and tooth meet, bad stuff and plaque can get in. This can make a cavity in a place that is hard to clean. This is why how good your dentist is and how good the lab work is are very important. A good sealed veneer keep your tooth safe. A bad one can make a trap for problems later and give you dental diseases.

So, veneers make cavities? No. But not cleaning your mouth or getting a bad veneer job can. If you brush two times a day, floss every day, and go to your dentist for checks, your teeth with veneers will be healthy like your other teeth. You have to promise to clean your teeth, that is the main thing.

How I Know if I Am a Good Person for Veneers?

Veneers are great but not for all people. The best person have good mouth health. This mean you dont have big problems like sick gums, big cavities, or teeth that are not strong. Is like painting a house. You need a strong, good wall before you paint it nice. If you have some dental diseases, your dentist must fix that first.

You also need to have enough good enamel. Because a small layer is taken off, you need to have enough to start. People who grind their teeth a lot (this is called bruxism) maybe are not good for veneers. The grinding all the time can push too hard on the porcelain, and it can chip or break. Sometimes, a nightguard can fix this, but you have to talk to your dentist about it.

The best way to know is to talk with a dentist who has do this a lot. They will look at your teeth, take x-rays, and talk about what you want. They can say if veneers are good for you, or maybe something else, like bonding, crowns, or orthodontics, is better. You should ask many questions. Is your smile and your health.

What Makes a “Good” Veneer and a “Bad” One?

This is the important part, and you, the person getting them, have some say. A “bad” veneer look not real. Maybe it is too white, too big, or all the same color, make you look like you have “Chiclets” for teeth. A “good” veneer is like art. You can’t tell it from a real, nice tooth. It have little changes in color and how see-through it is, like real teeth do.

The difference is two things: how good is your dentist and how good is the lab that makes the veneer. Your dentist is not just a tooth doctor. For this, he is also an artist. He have to make the shape and color to be perfect with your face, your skin color, and you. But he cant do it by himself. He work with a special person, a master ceramist, at a veneer lab. This is the person who makes the porcelain with his hands.

A great dentist will work with a very good lab. Some dentists even work with a partner in other country, like a special china dental lab, because they are good and make art. An arch dental lab can be special for making veneers for a whole new smile, so all the teeth look good together. The main thing is the lab use good stuff and has workers who have do this for many years. A cheap veneer from a bad lab will look cheap. Is good to pay for good work because you will have it in your smile for many years.

Are Veneers a Promise for All Your Life?

The short answer, yes. Because they take a little of your real enamel to put the veneer, that tooth will always need a cover. The enamel dont grow back. You should know veneers are a forever change. Is not something you can try and then take off later.

But the veneers, they dont last forever. A good porcelain veneer that you take care of can last a long time—like 10 to 20 years, and maybe even more. One day, you will need to change them. The porcelain can get old, it can chip, or your gums can go down over time, and you see the edge of the veneer.

When you have to replace them, the way to do it is like the first time. They take the old veneer off careful, and a new one is glued on. So, it is a forever promise to keep your teeth covered, is not just a one time thing. You are promising to take care of them and change them for your whole life. This is a big thing to think about for the cost for many years.

How You Take Care of Veneers? Is It Hard?

You maybe think these nice, expensive new teeth need a hard, special way to be cleaned. The truth is, it is very easy. You take care of veneers just like you should take care of your real teeth. There is no secret way.

This mean brush good two times a day with a soft fluoride toothpaste. You should also floss one time a day. This is very important to clean between your teeth and where the gum is, where the veneer and tooth touch. It stops plaque from making a home and keeps your gums healthy. Keeping that part safe is the most important thing for long time teeth health with veneers.

You should still go to your dentist for checks and cleanings every six months. Your hygienist know how to clean and shine your veneers and not break them. The only other thing is to be a little careful. Dont use your veneers to open bags, bite your nails, or chew ice. They are strong but they can break. Just be careful with them like you would with perfect real teeth.

What Is the Biggest Mistake I See People Do with Veneers?

The biggest mistake I see is not about how they do it. Is about the “why” and the “who.” The mistake is picking a dentist just for the price. People look for the cheapest price, and think a veneer is a veneer. This is a big risk for your smile and your health. A low price usually mean they do a bad job somewhere. Maybe the dentist is not good, or the stuff is cheap, or the lab is bad.

When you get a bad veneer job, the problems can be very bad. The veneers can look not real, big, and strange. They can fall off. Or even worse, they are not sealed good, so you get cavities, gum problems, and need more expensive dentist work later. I have see patients who pay thousands of dollars to fix a cheap veneer job.

Don’t look for a cheap price for your face. Your smile is one of your most important things. The first thing you should do is find a dentist who has do this a lot and has training. Ask to see pictures from before and after of his real patients. Ask them what veneer lab they use. A great dentist will be happy to show you his work and tell you how he do it. Paying for good quality at the start is the smartest, safest, and in the end, the cheapest way to get a smile you will love.

So, Are Veneers Bad for Your Teeth? The Last Answer.

So we go back to the big question. Are veneers bad for your teeth? My last, real answer is this: No, a veneer that is planned good and put on good is not bad for your tooth. Really, it can be a very safe way to get a great smile that last for a very long time. The porcelain is a material that is good for your body, your gums are okay with it.

The problem is not the veneer. The problem is when it is done bad. A bad dentist, a cheap lab, or a person who dont clean their teeth can make a good thing into a big problem. But this is true for any dentist work. A bad filling can make problems too. How they do it is not the problem; how good they do it is the problem.

In the end, veneers are a tool. If a good artist use it, he can make something beautiful. If a bad person use it, he can make a mess. Your job is to learn, pick a good dentist team, and promise to take care of what you paid for. If you do that, you are not hurting your teeth. You are just giving them a new, nice front.

Key Things to Know:

• Veneers are thin porcelain covers for the front of your teeth; they dont have to shave your teeth to little stubs.
• Getting them is not painful and they use medicine to make you numb.
• Your teeth health is most important. You can still get cavities on a tooth with a veneer, so you have to brush and floss every day.
• Veneers are a forever promise for your life because they take off a little bit of enamel.
• How good your dentist is and the veneer lab they use is the most important thing to make it look real and last a long time.
• Don’t pick your dentist because he is the cheapest. Pay for good quality for your smile.