Veneers - Topeka & Silver Lake, KS
Transform Your Teeth & Smile Brighter At Last
You deserve a custom solution to eliminate the flaws and imperfections that prevent your smile from looking its best. That solution is veneers. At Michel Dental, our dedicated dentists use these handcrafted creations to create breathtakingly beautiful smiles here in Topeka and Silver Lake, KS.
Why Choose Michel Dental for Veneers?
- Advanced Ceramic Materials For Long-Lasting Quality
- Transform Your Entire Smile At Once
- Modern, Pleasant Office Space With Advanced Technology
What are veneers?
Veneers are ultra-thin coverings bonded to the front of teeth to conceal stains, chips, gaps, and other blemishes. They can even reshape teeth that are slightly crooked. Made of lifelike dental porcelain or composite resin material, your high-quality dental veneers will look and feel completely natural and resist staining.
How are veneers created and applied?
The entire process takes about three visits. At the first visit, you and one of our dentists will discuss your smile goals. Don’t underestimate the importance of your input. After all, we want to make sure that you are completely satisfied with your new smile.
Many of our patients who have had porcelain veneers bring photos of friends and celebrities who have smiles they would like theirs to look like. With all of the information you provide combined with the X-rays, impressions, and photographs that we take, our dentists are able to create veneers that are perfectly you!
After we design your veneers to suit your facial shape and coloring, we’ll remove a small amount of enamel from the teeth receiving veneers. This step is necessary to ensure that your veneers fit comfortably in your mouth and do not protrude. Then, we will make a dental impression and apply temporaries.
Using our exact specifications, a ceramic artist at a cosmetic dentistry lab will make your restorations by hand. When they’re completed, our team will remove the temporaries and permanently affix your porcelain veneers to rejuvenate your smile and provide lasting beauty.
Caring for Your Veneers in Silver Lake & Topeka
Porcelain veneers are very strong. However, they are not impervious to damage. Therefore, try to avoid biting down on hard objects such as ice chips, carrot sticks, and even your fingernails in order to maintain their integrity and lovely appearance.
Oral hygiene with porcelain veneers is extremely important, too. Twice daily brushing and flossing at least once a day not only keeps your veneers in top condition, but also maintains the health of the remaining tooth structure hiding behind the veneers. We will also want you to keep attending your regular biannual dental checkups.
If you’re ready to have a perfectly flawless smile, then contact our office to schedule a consultation and learn more about porcelain veneers. Michel Dental gives residents of Topeka, Silver Lake, Lawrence, Manhattan, and surrounding areas quality care for distinctive smiles. Call today to schedule your appointment or consultation with one of our dentists.
Understanding the Cost of Veneers
The cost of your veneers will vary based on several different factors, such as how many veneers you’re receiving and where in your mouth they will be placed. Keep in mind that because veneers can last up to a decade (possibly even two with proper care) and can correct multiple smile flaws in one treatment, they should be well worth the price. With that said, you’ll want to make sure they are the best cosmetic solution for you.
Which Cosmetic Treatment is Right for Me?
There are many cosmetic services available to you, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re aware of them first before choosing veneers. Not only do they hold different costs, but they often take less time to complete. Cosmetic services available at Michel Dental include the following:
- Invisalign – Not only can you remove gaps, but you can resolve crowding and rotations in teeth. However, the process typically takes between 6 to 12 months to complete and can cost as much as $5,000. They also won’t address the shape or color of your teeth.
- Teeth Whitening – While teeth whitening is one of the fastest and most affordable cosmetic treatments out there, it won’t affect the position or shape of your teeth.
- Cosmetic Bonding – Ideal for covering bad stains, chips, cracks, and even small gaps, cosmetic bonding is an affordable treatment solution for those considering cosmetic dentistry. However, it will likely need touching up every few years or so.
- Veneers – Veneers are not necessarily cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for in terms of addressing cosmetic imperfections. They are perfect for those who want a complete overhaul of their smile’s appearance and a longer lasting solution. Just keep in mind that slight modification of tooth enamel is needed for them to sit flush against teeth.
How to Make Veneers Affordable
In the majority of cases, you won’t be able to receive coverage for veneers from a dental insurance provider. This is because veneers are purely seen as a cosmetic addition to teeth and do not necessarily restore them like other treatments do (such as metal-free restorations.) With that said, there are ways to make your treatment more affordable.
For example, CareCredit allows patients to cover the cost of treatment over the course of several months, meaning you won’t have to pay for services in one lump sum. Additionally, you can pay with little-to-no interest attached depending on the payment plan you choose.
Michel Dental also offers a Smile Savings Plan that provides discounts on other services in-house. For example, patients can receive a 15% discount on all other treatments when they sign up (and this includes cosmetic services like veneers.)
If you would like to learn more about veneers or another cosmetic treatment that may better suit your needs, you’re always welcome to give us a call directly or ask about it during your next appointment. We’re prepared to help you transform your smile in a way that fits in your budget.
Veneers FAQs
If your otherwise beautiful smile is marred by dental flaws such as chips, cracks, or stubborn stains, then veneers in Topeka might be just the thing you need to revitalize your smile and regain your confidence. However, chances are you have a few questions about how the treatment works. Don’t worry; we’ve taken the liberty of answering some of the questions about veneers that we get asked the most frequently.
Are Veneers Permanent?
Because a tiny layer of enamel is removed in the process of placing veneers, they are considered a permanent treatment. This is because enamel does not grow back once it has been shaved away. For this reason, you will always need some kind of restoration to protect your teeth in the future, whether that be more veneers or dental crowns.
Am I a Good Candidate for Veneers?
If you have any of the following imperfections in your smile, veneers in Silver Lake may be just the treatment you need:
- Chips or cracks
- Stains or discoloration
- Slightly gapped teeth
- Stubby or worn-down teeth
- Generally misshapen teeth
Since veneers are often considered a purely cosmetic treatment, we ask that your mouth be infection-free before placing veneers. This means that if we examine your mouth and find cavities or traces of gum disease, we must first deal with those issues.
Does It Hurt to Get Veneers?
The process of removing enamel might normally hurt, but we typically make sure that our patients are numbed up with plenty of local anesthetic beforehand. The level of soreness you experience after the numbness wears off will depend mostly on how many veneers you’re receiving. In general, the more veneers you’re getting, the more soreness you can expect to deal with afterward. However, this is nothing that can’t be managed by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever or applying an ice pack to your cheek in 10-minute intervals.
Will Veneers Restrict My Diet?
For the first few days after getting veneers, we recommend sticking to a soft food diet to help you get used to your new restorations. After that, you should be able to eat pretty much whatever you want, although there are some foods that we suggest avoiding in order to prolong the lifespan of your veneers. These items include:
- Ice
- Hard candy
- Hard breads
- Nuts
- Popcorn kernels
- Caramel apples
- Seeds
What Happens to the Teeth Under Veneers?
Receiving veneers will not harm your teeth since only a small amount of enamel is removed and the bonding material used to secure these devices is completely safe for use in the human mouth. Since these teeth will be sheltered by their veneers, this treatment will not increase your risk of cavities. However, you will still need to practice proper oral hygiene every day to prevent tooth decay that can compromise your veneers and the teeth supporting them. The best ways to keep your transformed smile in excellent shape are to brush and floss daily, attend biannual checkups at Michel Dental, and limit your consumption of sugary and acidic foods and drinks.
Will I Still Be Able to Drink Coffee with Veneers?
Veneers are carefully crafted from non-porous ceramic materials that are difficult for pigments and dyes to bond with, which makes them quite resistant to stains. While you should be able to enjoy coffee in moderation without worrying about your veneers being discolored, frequent excessive exposure to this beverage can lead to unsightly stains. It’s best to enjoy your java alongside a tall glass of water to help wash the dark liquid away from your smile, and using a straw can also help limit how much coffee makes contact with your teeth.
Do Veneers Give You a Lisp?
Veneers slightly change the dimensions of the teeth being treated, so you may develop a temporary lisp after you receive them. However, this issue should go away on its own as you get used to speaking with your appliances, and it will probably be most noticeable when you make the “s” and “v” sounds. In some cases, we can adjust a patient’s veneers to help them get rid of their lisp faster, but you can probably accelerate your adjustment process by singing a song or reading a favorite book out loud and repeating any difficult words until you get the hang of them.
How Long Do Veneers Last?
In one 2007 study of 304 veneers, researchers found that 96% of the appliances lasted five years, 93% lasted ten to eleven years, 91% lasted twelve to thirteen years, and 73% lasted for fifteen to sixteen years. The lifespan of your appliances will mostly depend on how well you care for them, and veneers sometimes fail due to preventable chips, cracks, and fractures. The average lifespan for a dental veneer is between ten and fifteen years, but they may be able to last for thirty years or more if they receive excellent care. You can keep your smile in great shape by practicing excellent oral hygiene, attending regular dental appointments, and being careful when chewing.
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