Porcelain Veneers
Creating Natural Smiles Using Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain used to create the natural look of teeth which are resilient and effective at reshaping the look of your smile. Bonded directly to the existing teeth, veneers also provide added strength and support.
To apply veneers, a small amount of the original tooth must be removed. In many cases, from several tenths a little more than one millimeter of the original tooth must be removed. Once the tooth is prepared, the veneer is bonded to the surface using light sensitive resin that is cured to create an extremely strong and lasting adhesion.
Veneers are available in two profiles, one designed to be applied directly to the front of the tooth, and the other designed to wrap ¾ of the way around the tooth for added strength.
Porcelain Veneers & 3/4 Porcelain Crowns: Replacing Worn-Out Resin Bonding
This patient had “cosmetic” bonding originally done in 1976. She had it redone in 1989 and again in 1993. Each time her previous dentist placed the bonding; it delaminated, chipped and fell apart with time. Her previously undiagnosed nighttime clenching was placing forces on her teeth, which the teeth and bonding could not withstand. After the correct diagnosis, we provided her with a protective Tanner appliance to wear as she slept and reshaped her teeth to minimize the damage from her heavy biting forces.
Finally, in 2003 we whitened her teeth and replaced the delaminating bonding with stronger porcelain ¾ crowns and veneers on her upper front six teeth. A porcelain ¾ crown is a larger porcelain veneer that wraps around the sides of the tooth. Elegant, stunning and strong!
We brought a youthful appearance back to this patient's smile. A youthful tooth has a surface texture much like that of an orange. This texture scatters light like the facets of a diamond. In contrast, an aged tooth has a smooth texture like that of a pearl and the reflections are more dull. Up close, the new youthful texture is noticeable, giving the teeth that extra sparkle!
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Years of nighttime teeth grinding will shorten, chip and damage your front teeth. A periodontist placed this patient's gums at the appropriate aesthetic level on her upper four front incisors, her lower front teeth were reshaped and polished to improve their resistance to further damage and improve her aesthetics. The four porcelain veneers were placed on her upper front four incisors. To prevent further damage she was fitted with a mandibular anatomic (Tanner) appliance and a maxillary thin Essix orthodontic retainer. Now her beautiful smile is protected from nighttime bruxism.
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Porcelain Veneers in Edina, Minneapolis, Bloomington
From her Smiles at France office in Minneapolis located at 50th & France, Dr. Helget provides porcelain veneers and other cosmetic dentistry options to patients from Edina, Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, St. Paul, West Bloomington, Southdale area, Hopkins, Plymouth, Minnetonka and Golden Valley.