What Are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin shells that are custom made for improving the look of stained, broken, chipped and misshapen teeth and overall enhancing of the smile. They are usually made from porcelain or composite resin.
Depending on the patient’s needs, dental veneers can differ in size, colour, shape or length. While the veneers are usually used for cosmetic issues, they can also be a part of an overall dental makeover to help cure the gum disease.
Quick Summary About the Procedure
- Length of Stay in Country
- Length of Stay in Hospital
- Operation Duration
- Anesthesia Type
- Recovery Time
- 7 Days
- No Need
- Up to 4 Hours
- Local Anesthesia
- 3 Days
Who is the Ideal Candidate for Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are among the most versatile dental treatments. While they are not the appropriate for everyone, dental veneers can be the right fit for the individuals who;
- Wants to correct severely discolored or stained teeth
- Needs to correct minor imperfections like cracked chipper or misshapen teeth
- Have good oral health and practice oral hygiene habits on a regular basis
- Have sufficient and healthy tooth enamel to support the veneers.
Where Should I Get Dental Veneers Made?
Dental veneers can be done locally or abroad, but for countries like the UK and US, having this procedure done abroad can be more advantageous. Here’s some of the advantages of getting dental procedures abroad.
Affordable Prices
Getting medical procedures done in highly developed countries is expensive. Cost of living, property prices and material costs are the main reasons for the high prices in countries like the UK, Germany and France. But in developing countries like Slovakia, Poland or Turkey, prices are cheaper because of the lower living costs, property prices and exchange rates.
Outstanding Quality and Care
Cheap prices can be scary for the uninitiated but if you travel abroad for medical tourism, you can get the same if not better results for less money. If you take time to investigate, you can see that Turkey has state-of-the-art dental clinics with the latest equipment that are operated by fully trained and experienced dental professionals.
Convenience
It may seem counterintuitive but getting dental procedures done abroad is usually more convenient than getting them done locally. In local clinics, there’s usually a long waiting period just to have the first consulting session. Even then, you’ll need multiple appointments to get your impressions and wait around 2-4 weeks to get you veneers made.These can add up quickly and can cause further damage to your health or cause unnecessary discomfort. But when done abroad, you can contact the dentist at the comfort of your home via e mail, telephone or video calls. The dentist will work around your schedule, get your impressions the first day and get your permanent veneers made in just 2 to 4 days.
Step by Step Dental Veneer Procedure
Dental veneer procedure includes 5 steps. These are as follows.
- Dental Consultation
- Preparation
- Mould Making and Temporary Veneers
- Production of the Veneers
- Bonding
1. Dental Consultation
Dental consultation process begin with contacting your dentist via an email or telephone if you want to get veneers done overseas. Then, you’ll send pictures of your teeth to your dentist for him/her to determine if you are suitable for this treatment.
If approved, you’ll have to visit the dentist for consulting and examination of your teeth. The dentist will look for signs of damage, decay or if there’s any dental health issues like periodontal disease or signs of excessive teeth grinding or clenching to determine if dental veneers are a viable option for your needs.
If there’s an underlying condition that needs to be addressed first, your dentist may offer alternative solutions that’ll fit better for your needs. Also, during the session your dentist will offer his/her professional advice on the shape, length and color of your veneers for creating a more natural look.
2. Preparation
If you want to get dental veneers done locally, your dentist will give you an appointment, usually two days after the consulting, to prepare your teeth for veneers. If done abroad, your dentist will start this process within the same session of consulting to save time.
To start the preparation, your dentist will give you local anesthesia. After that, he/she will shave off a very thin layer (usually 0.3 to 1 mm) from the surface of each tooth that will get the treatment with a precision tool. This will help the veneers sit flush against the surface and give them a more natural look.
If you are having direct composite veneers, your dentist will make them directly on your prepared teeth using a special resin.
3. Mould Making and Temporary Veneers
After the preparation is done, your dentist will take impressions of each tooth to make a mould for the veneers. He/she then sends these impressions to the laboratory of the clinic or an external laboratory to have the veneers to be made. After the moulds are made, your dentist will put on temporary veneers with an easily removable dental cement to protect your exposed tooth.
4. Production of the Veneers
Dental veneers that are made from porcelain or indirect composites will be made in a special dental laboratory for your needs. This process can take two to four weeks if you want to get them locally. But in abroad, your veneers will be made as soon as possible, usually within two to four days depending on the type and number of veneers.
5. Bonding of the Veneers
After your permanent veneers came from the laboratory your dentist will remove your temporary veneers and start preparing your teeth for the bonding process. Firstly, you will try on your new veneers to make sure they are perfect for your cosmetic and functional needs. If needed, he/she makes the necessary adjustments before permanent bonding.
After the testing, your dentist will wash your teeth with a special chemical to prepare them for the bonding process. This wash will create a clean and etched surface for the dental cement to make a permanent bond with your teeth and veneers.
Finally, with the help of a dental cement, your veneers are bonded to your teeth. This cement is then photo-activated with a special light to cure them in five minutes.
Different Types of Dental Veneers
There are three types of dental veneers;
- Porcelain or Ceramic,
- Composite,
- Laminate Veneers
- No-Prep Veneers.
1. Porcelain or Ceramic Dental Veneers
Porcelain veneers are the most durable and most popular dental veneers. They can mimic your natural teeth and color-match perfectly and look the most natural. This type of veneers may cause some inconvenience, as they take time for preparation and produce, but they can last up to 15 years with proper care.
2. Composite Dental Veneers
Composite dental veneers cost less money and are faster to produce. But they are not as durable as the porcelain veneers, can stain faster, and look less natural.
There’s two types of composite dental veneers; direct and indirect.
Direct composite veneers are made by layering the resin directly on top of your teeth. Indirect veneers are made from the same composite resin. They are made to the mould, outside of your mouth, just like the porcelain veneers.
There’s usually less preparation needed for composite veneers. Your teeth will be etched before the procedure. This is done in order to make sure dental adhesive and composite resin have good contact with your teeth. After this procedure, your dentist will photo-activate the adhesive and resin with a special light and cure them in place.
Please keep in mind that as cheap and convenient as composite dental veneers are, they can chip and break faster than porcelain veneers and have an expected life span of five years.
3. Laminate Veneers
Laminate veneers are made out of the same material as the porcelain veneers. These veneers are thinner than the porcelain veneers and usually require little preparation process to be done beforehand, if any. As laminate veneers are thin, they are more translucent and allow for a more natural look of your teeth after the operation.
4. No-Prep Dental Veneers
No-prep veneers are dental veneers that require no preparation process. They are even thinner than the conventional dental veneers and faster to apply. Lumineers is one of the most popular brands that produces no-prep veneers and they are made from the durable porcelain material.
As no-prep veneers can be as thin as a contact lens, they may not be suitable for individuals with severely discolored teeth.
Dental Veneer Prices
Dental veneer prices can change based on the country, veneer type and dental clinics. You can find a table of median prices per tooth at the following table.
Country | Composite Veneer Cost (Per Tooth) | Porcelain Veneer Cost (Per Tooth) |
Canada | $300-500 | $1400 |
USA | $250-1500 | $925-2500 |
UK | $250-640 | $1290 |
Turkey | $120-300 | $220-450 |
Thailand | $40-50 | $200-590 |
Hungary | $100 | $370 |
Costa Rica | $85 | $425 |
As you can see, prices can vastly differ from country to country. As an example, Turkey is cheaper than highly-developed countries like the UK, US, and Canada mostly because of the exchange rate. For dental veneers Turkey is one of the best options as the country has state-of-the-art dental clinics.
What to Expect from the Consulting Session?
Initial consulting session with you and your dentist is really important. This will be the session where you’ll decide how your new smile looks and take your dentist’s professional advice. You can expect to talk about;
- How do you want your smile to look like, you should have some photos of smiles that you find pretty
- Shape, size, length and colour of your veneers
- What type of veneer is right for your needs
Also, you should ask your doctor about;
- Photos of his/her previous works
- Prices, financing and insurance
- How to clean your veneers
What are the Risks and Success Rate of Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are amongst the safest dental procedures that you can have. The success rate of this procedure is about 95%. But as with any procedure, there are some small, albeit important risks to know about.
Porcelain Veneers are Permanent
Porcelain veneers are very good at mimicking the natural teeth. But once you have them done, they are permanently bonded to your teeth. You should take good care of them as porcelain veneers are hard to repair and expensive to make.
They Can Break or Chip
Porcelain veneers may not be a good fit for you if you clench or grind your teeth. Also, nail biting, chewing on pencils and pencil caps, eating ice, hard nuts and hard pips like olive pips can damage your teeth. Porcelain is hard and does not have elasticity. You should inform your dentist about these kinds of habits before you get dental veneers, because once broken, your only option is to repair them and it can be very expensive.
Can Cause Sensitivity
A slight elevation on hot and cold sensitivity can be present after the procedure. This issue should disappear after a week. If it’s continuing a week after the treatment, you should book a new appointment to your dentist to get your veneers checked for fitment.
How Long Does It Take?
Enemal extraction is really fast, it usually takes 10 to 20 minutes.
Construction of the veneers can change depending on the type. Porcelain veneers usually take 2 to 4 weeks when done locally. But abroad, veneers are made much faster, 2 to 4 days.
Porcelain veneer’s bonding and curing takes about 2 hours, composite veneers takes about 1.5 hours.
The whole process should take 5 to 6 weeks if done locally and 4-8 days if done abroad.
Downtime and Recovery
There’s virtually no downtime for the dental veneer procedure. Patients can continue working the same day or the day after receiving the procedure. There can be some sensitivity around the gumline and teeth, this should pass by itself in about a week. Rinsing with warm saline solution should help with the sensitivity and analgesics can improve your quality of life after the procedure.
Side Effects
Dental veneers are one of the safest and most successful dental procedures, but there can be temporary side effects that can be remedied easily.
1. Slightly elevated sensitivity
Due to the enamel extraction, hot and cold sensitivity can be elevated slightly. This should pass with time, and patients can take analgesics to help themselves with the sensitivity. Also, patients should avoid too hot or too cold beverages and foods for two to three days after the procedure.
2. Sensitive Gums
Gums may take some time to adjust and can give a slight response to the veneers. Patients can rinse the gums with warm saline solution to soothe the gums.
3. General Discomfort
While the dental veneers cause very little to no pain both during and after the operation, individuals who have sensitive teeth before the operation can feel some general discomfort. You can take the prescribed painkiller to help with the pain. You should contact your dentist if the pain persists after a week.
Statistics
Medical tourism is on the rise. Recent statistics show that in 2019, more than a million people travelled to Turkey for medical reasons. A rise of 370% from 2015. Making Turkey one of the most visited countries for health tourism.
Turkey has dental clinics with the latest and greatest equipment, onsite laboratory, and world-renowned dental professionals. The environment is tourist-friendly and they have medical and dental facilities that specialize in medical-tourism. Also, due to the exchange rate and lower living costs, you can have a sea-side vacation included with your medical bill.
Alternative Treatments
1. Teeth Whitening
If you suffer from discolored teeth or want a whiter smile, you should get information about in-office teeth whitening from your dentist. Teeth whitening is non-destructive and can provide a whiter smile in one appointment. But it usually lasts for a short time and may not work if you suffer from severe discoloration of teeth.
2. Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are used to completely cover the damaged tooth. In addition to strengthening the damaged tooth, the crown can also be used to correct its appearance, shape or alignment. The crown can also be placed on the implant to provide a tooth-like shape and structure to function. If you want to use dental veneers to improve the appearance of a broken tooth, your dentist can advise you to use crowns instead.
FAQS
Dental veneers can be made from different ceramics, porcelain and composite resins.
Cost of dental veneers depends on multiple variables. These includes but not limited to;
- Type of the veneers,
- Where they will be made,
- Which options are going to be used
- If your insurance covers the dental veneers
The average cost can vary significantly according to these variables.
Dental veneers can be called teeth veneers. They are the same.
Dental veneers procedure, especially the porcelain veneers are irreversible. Once you have them, you’ll always need them, as preparing the teeth does cause some harm to your enamel. But no-prep veneers like LUMINEERS are removable and safe because they don’t need preparation work.
If you compare dental veneer costs of Turkey against highly-developed countries like Germany and the UK, getting this procedure done in Turkey is cheaper than getting it done locally. While Turkey isn’t the cheapest country to get veneers done, they offer some of the finest dental care in the world.
No, Dental veneers procedure usually doesn’t involve any pain or discomfort. After the operation, your teeth can feel a little sensitive. This heightened sensitivity should pass after your teeth get used to the veneers.
No-prep veneers don’t require the bonding procedure and can be done without shaving the teeth enamel. These veneers are very thin and can be removed. They are the most expensive dental veneer type but are also the most convenient because they are reversible.
Dental veneers are usually destructive and irreversible. Also, while they mimic the natural teeth, they can break and chip easier. Also, while most of the discoloration on ceramic veneers is reversible, not all the stains can be removed.
Ceramic veneers are durable and wear down pretty hard. But they are hard to repair and usually need to be done again, which is expensive.
