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If you have discolored, gapped, chipped, or slightly crooked teeth, porcelain veneers could be a great cosmetic option. Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin shells designed to cover the front surface of teeth. If you’ve ever wondered how Hollywood movie stars and celebrities can achieve such perfect smiles, a veneer was probably the answer. Veneers can fix many cosmetic imperfections and even fix gaps among teeth. For people looking to beautify their smile, porcelain veneers are a great option. However, to be fit with traditional veneers, your dentist must first grind down your existing tooth structure by removing a thin enamel layer from your teeth. While this procedure is standard and perfectly safe, it can lead to pain and tooth sensitivity, and the thought of it can make patients squeamish. Luckily, we at Pacific Dental Care also provide Lumineers, a special kind of porcelain veneer that skips much of the prep work that has turned people off from veneers in the past.

Lumineers are made ultra-thin (approximately 0.2 millimeters thick), so little to no tooth reduction is needed before they’re fitted. Not only does that preserve the natural structure of your teeth, but it means faster treatment, no need to wear temporaries before fitting, a less invasive procedure, and a much lower risk of pain and tooth sensitivity throughout the process. And unlike with standard veneers, if you’re unsatisfied with the results, our dentists can easily remove the veneers from your teeth. With their highly translucent appearance, Lumineers replicate the natural appearance of your tooth enamel, and they’re durable enough to resist wear and tear for up to 20 years.

Lumineers can be installed in as quickly as two visits. After a consultation to determine if Lumineers are right for you, a Certified Lumineers Dentist, they will take an impression of both your upper and lower teeth and send the mold, along with photos, dental records, and any other pertinent information to ensure a proper fit, to an authorized Lumineers laboratory. Typically after a few weeks, you’ll have your second visit. There, your dentist will place your Lumineers. They’ll test the fit to make sure it’s good and snug, then your teeth are moderately etched to prepare for placement and bonded one by one. Finally, your dentist will check your bite to ensure your points of contact are balanced and will not result in chipping throughout the day.

However, Lumineers may not be the best choice for everyone. Since they are built to be installed with a less invasive procedure, they are not fitted with any pre-sculpting of the tooth. This can result in a less natural look for some, particularly since the lack of drilling means the Lumineers increase the size of the tooth. Additionally, the super thin construction of your Lumineers makes them more susceptible to damage, and when they break, they can be difficult to correct. However, those potential issues are greatly mitigated when you have your Lumineers installed by an experienced cosmetic dental practitioner like the ones we have employed here at Pacific Dental Care.

If you may be interested in Lumineers, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation appointment with us so we can discuss the details further and give you all the information and expertise needed to get a beautiful white smile.

 

At Pacific Dental Care we make it a point to practice preventative dentistry, which involves education and instilling good dental health habits that our patients can practice for their entire lives. However, we do realize that sometimes we run into folks who may not have had the guidance that we make sure to bestow upon our valued patients. We do have patients come to us who’ve experienced damage to their teeth, particularly to their enamel. This can result in sensitive teeth and a number of other oral health complications, so we’d like to take some time to advise our patients who suffer from worn down tooth enamel about ways that they can give some extra TLC to their teeth.

Do you get an intense pain when eating foods extreme in temperature? Ice cream and hot tea can be painful undertakings if you’ve experienced enamel erosion. Enamel, a tooth’s outer covering, is a translucent layer of thin (but extremely strong) coating that protects the tooth and dentin, acting as a protective shield. Enamel also works as fortification against temperature, chemicals, and bacteria. Enamel doesn’t contain living cells, so when you lose it, there is no way for your body to regenerate it. Since you may not be able to restore your teeth, there are some steps and precautions that you can take to give your teeth the extra attention they need and deserve.

Stay away from sodas and fruit juices

Get your fruit the old fashioned way. Or, make a smoothie if you have a food processor. It’s good to avoid sodas and fruit juices because they contain many different types of acids that can corrode your enamel. If your enamel is already worn, beverages like these can wreak havoc on your teeth. You wouldn’t think so, but fruit juices actually erode your teeth more than soda will.

If you must, drink fruit juices and sodas with a straw, which will limit tooth exposure. A straw will make sure that the soda and juices have less direct contact with your teeth, directing the liquid to the back of the mouth instead.

Chew sugarless gum

If you eat during the day, especially foods high in starch or sugar, your mouth will become intensely acidic. To offset this effect, chew sugarless gum, which will help even the playing field as your mouth produces more saliva. Minerals in your saliva actually will help strengthen enamel. Make sure that your sugar free gum has xylitol in it, which is an ingredient that has been shown to diminish destructive acids found in food, fruit juices, and sodas.

Chew thoroughly and make sure your saliva production is up to par

Chronic dry mouth (also known as Xerostomia) can cause problems for your mouth, affecting your tooth enamel particularly. Saliva, as mentioned before, actually contains calcium and phosphate, which both protect tooth enamel. When your saliva production is low, your tooth enamel is more susceptible to damage. Chewing thoroughly helps produce saliva. Chewing sugarless gum also helps to produce saliva between meals.

Make sure you schedule and keep your routine checkups with Pacific Dental Care

This is the most important step to take of all. It’s important that you work with a trained professional who can monitor and track progress with your teeth and oral health. We’re in this together, helping you build good habits and increase your knowledge about good oral health, which is being linked more and more to good overall health. Contact Pacific Dental Care to schedule your next visit. If there’s a problem, we’re here to take a look and lend our expertise. Even if there’s nothing wrong as far as you can tell, schedule your next routine checkup today.