Veneers – Ann Arbor, MI
A Versatile, Long-Lasting Way to Perfect Your Smile
Not everyone is born with a picture-perfect set of pearly whites. If stains, gaps, chips, and other imperfections in your teeth have left you feeling less than confident, you might be interested in a cosmetic dentistry treatment called veneers. With this versatile solution, Dr. Dina H. Cocco give your smile a complete makeover, giving you the confidence to always be ready to flash your grin. To find out whether veneers in Ann Arbor are just the thing your smile needs, we encourage you to contact us today!
What Are Dental Veneers?
Veneers are very thin shells of customized dental porcelain that are designed to be cemented over the visible surfaces of a patient’s teeth. This is done to correct a wide variety of aesthetic flaws all at once, from uneven spacing to noticeable chips and cracks to dark discoloration. Essentially, they function like little “masks” in that once placed, they make your teeth look as if they’d never been anything less than perfect! Plus, dental porcelain looks impeccably like natural tooth enamel and is highly durable as well as stain-resistant, so you can count on seamless results that last for many years to come.
The Process of Getting Veneers
For a treatment with such long-lasting results, the veneers process is relatively short. Not counting your consultation with your cosmetic dentist in Ann Arbor, it should only take two appointments. During the first of these visits, Dr. Cocco cleans your teeth and removes an extremely thin sliver of enamel from their surfaces. This ensures that your veneers don’t bulge out compared to the rest of your teeth. Then, our team takes impressions of your prepared teeth. While a dental lab gets to work crafting your veneers based on these impressions, we typically place temporary veneers to protect your teeth during that period.
Your second veneers appointment takes place a few weeks later, once your permanent veneers have arrived at our office. All we need to do is remove the temporaries, make sure your final veneers look and fit as planned, and bond them to your teeth. Then, you can start enjoying your new and improved smile!
The Benefits of Veneers
The majority of our patients with veneers have gone on to sing their praises, and it’s not hard to see why. After all, this treatment has several benefits, including:
- The ability to improve the size, shape, color, proportion, and spacing of the teeth at the same time.
- Results that look effortlessly natural.
- A treatment process that only takes two appointments and a few short weeks.
- Results that can last for 10-15 or longer with easy maintenance.
Understanding the Cost of Veneers
As long-lasting, transformative, and versatile as veneers are, you may be unsurprised to learn that they typically cost more than many other cosmetic dental treatments. Don’t let that fact deter you, though! Despite their higher initial price, veneers in Ann Arbor are well worth the investment if you’re looking for a complete smile makeover that stands the test of time. When you meet with Dr. Cocco for a consultation, our team will provide you with price estimates for all of your smile enhancement options and help you determine the right solution for your grin and budget.
Veneers vs. Other Cosmetic Dental Services: Comparing the Costs
Veneers are just one of the many ways that your cosmetic dentist in Ann Arbor can fix what’s bothering you about your teeth. Of course, each cosmetic dental service comes with different price ranges and can accomplish various things in terms of improving your smile. We invite you to take a moment and consider the differences in cost for some of the most popular options for correcting aesthetic dental issues.
- Braces – Whether you choose traditional braces or clear aligners, orthodontic treatment can make a world of difference for patients with significantly crooked or rotated teeth. However, the changes they make are limited, as they can only fix the teeth’s alignment. Moreover, these treatments cost several thousands of dollars and can easily take a year or longer.
- Teeth whitening – At just a few hundred dollars in most cases, professional teeth whitening is one of the fastest and most affordable cosmetic choices. It’s worth mentioning that whitening doesn’t affect the size or shape of the teeth, and the results tend to only last for a few months.
- Dental bonding – A quick and easy fix for minor flaws, dental bonding is affordable for most patients. It can correct many of the same issues as veneers and produce similarly lifelike results. However, the composite resin used in bonding is not nearly as durable or stain-resistant as veneers.
- Veneers – Although veneers are far from the cheapest option available to improve your smile, they arguably provide the best value. The treatment process only takes a few short weeks, and they can conceal a wide variety of imperfections with results that can easily last upwards of 15 years.
How to Make Veneers Affordable
Because most dental insurance providers consider cosmetic procedures to be purely elective, they’re unlikely to cover the cost of veneers in Ann Arbor. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your smile makeover is inaccessible. Our practice welcomes CareCredit financing and can even help you apply for one of this company’s flexible, low- to no-interest payment plans. Thanks to CareCredit, countless patients have been able to split up their dental costs into monthly installments that fit neatly into their budgets. Ask our team how we can do the same for you!
Veneers FAQs
If you’re looking for a more dramatic smile makeover, veneers could be the solution for you. However, they are quite an investment, so it pays to be well informed. Here are the answers to some of the most popular questions we receive about dental veneers in Ann Arbor. If you don’t see the information that you’re looking for below, give us a call . We’d be happy to answer your questions and get you started with an initial consultation.
Are Veneers Permanent?
No, veneers aren’t technically permanent because they will eventually need to be replaced. However, they are considered to be irreversible. A small amount of protective enamel needs to be removed in order to make room for the veneers, and removed enamel doesn’t grow back. Teeth that are prepared in this way will always need to be covered by either veneers or dental crowns.
Will I Still Be Able to Drink Coffee with Veneers?
Veneers that are made from porcelain are stain-resistant. Porcelain is nonporous, so particles in dark colored foods and beverages have a harder time slipping beneath the surface. Ultimately, you should be able to enjoy your morning cup of coffee without worrying too much about staining. Just keep in mind that veneers are not stain-proof, so excessive consumption of dark-colored beverages can still have a negative impact over time. Moderation is key!
How Many Veneers Will I Need?
The goal of veneers can is for all of your visible teeth to match, so you will receive the appropriate number of veneers to accomplish this goal. Some patients opt for a single veneer for one pesky tooth, which others get anywhere from 6 to 12 veneers for a more complete smile makeover. During your initial consultation with us, we can determine what the right number is for you.
Can You Whiten Veneers?
Whitening products don’t have any effect on veneers even if they’ve been stained. Instead, you will need to either have them shaded or replaced. Whitening treatments will still affect teeth surrounding your veneers, therefore resulting in an uneven tone of your smile. If you are planning on having both whitening and veneers, start with the whitening. This way, the veneers can be color-matched to blend in with the rest of your smile.
Is It Painful to Get Veneers?
The mouth is typically numbed for veneer placement, so you shouldn’t feel any pain during the procedure itself. However, you may experience some sensitivity after the temporary veneers have been placed. Some people experience “bonding sensitivity,” which is when you feel pain when biting into something hot or cold. Fortunately, this is temporary and can be managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and saltwater rinses.