Veneers – Milwaukee, WI

Get a Dazzling Smile with Just One Treatment

Thanks to smartphones and social media, your smile is on display more than ever before. If your teeth are plagued by flaws like stains, chips, or gaps, you may find it hard to smile in photos. Maybe you’re interested in improving your pearly whites with cosmetic dentistry, but the sheer number of available services can feel overwhelming at first. But with a treatment called veneers, our dental team can give several of your teeth a makeover at once! If you’ve been dreaming of having a perfect smile, we invite you to call Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry and schedule a consultation for veneers.

Why Choose Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry for Veneers?

Advanced Technology Makes Appointments Fast & Comfortable
Knowledgeable, Experienced, & Friendly Dentists
Treatments Custom-Made for Each Patient

What Are Veneers?

man pointing to his smile with veneers in Milwaukee

A veneer is a thin shell that is bonded to a tooth to cover up its entire front-facing surface. Veneers used to be made of composite resin, but nowadays, most dentists use veneers made of porcelain instead because it’s more durable and resistant to staining.

Because veneers conceal the whole front portion of a tooth, they can be used to correct all kinds of imperfections, including:

Chips and cracks in your tooth enamel
Misshapen, short, or stubby teeth
Discoloration or stains that don’t respond to teeth whitening treatments
Minor gaps between teeth
Slightly rotated or crooked teeth

When it comes to fixing multiple smile flaws at once, veneers are usually the perfect treatment. They’ll give you the confidence to smile brightly in every single photo!

The Veneers Process

veneer being placed over a bottom tooth

The process of getting veneers starts with a consultation with one of our dentists. By having them examine your mouth and talking with them about your smile goals, together you can decide whether veneers are the right treatment for you. If you decide to move forward with the veneers process, you can go ahead and schedule the first of the two appointments it will take to get them.

We begin by slightly altering the teeth that will receive veneers. We’ll have to remove a thin sliver of enamel so that the veneers don’t appear bulky or unnatural compared to the rest of your smile. Next, we capture digital impressions of your mouth to create a mold, which is sent to a dental lab and used to create your veneers. While the lab is working on that, we’ll place temporary veneers to protect your teeth. You’ll return a few weeks later, when we’ll make any last-minute adjustments and cement your final veneers into place.

Benefits of Veneers

dentist placing a veneer over a patient’s tooth

During your consultation, don’t be surprised if you hear our dentists go on and on about the various advantages that veneers have. Some of these benefits include:

Veneers are versatile enough to correct virtually every cosmetic flaw a tooth could have.
Every single veneer is 100% personalized to mimic (or improve) the size, shape, color, or proportion of your teeth.
Dental porcelain is not nearly as porous as tooth enamel, so your veneers will not become stained or discolored as easily as natural teeth do.
Veneers are quite durable. If you take care of them with good oral hygiene, they can last for more than a decade.
Compared to dental crowns, which cover the entire portion of a tooth above the gums, veneers are more conservative because they require less enamel to be removed.

Veneers FAQs

veneers being placed over several upper teeth

Veneers sound like an amazing way to improve your smile – and they are. However, it’s perfectly understandable to have a few questions that need answered before you commit to the treatment. Below, we’ve included the answers to some of the most common questions we get regarding veneers. Feel free to give us a call if you don’t find the information you’re looking for!

How Many Veneers Will I Need?

The goal of veneers is to make all of your visible teeth look even and attractive. That’s why, in most cases, we recommend receiving veneers on “the social six.” These are the six teeth on the upper arch that show most prominently when you smile. Many patients end up getting eight, ten, or even twelve veneers to ensure their smile looks symmetrical. However, it’s also possible to only get one veneer to cover up a single problem tooth. We’ll discuss your options during your consultation.

What Happens to the Teeth Under Veneers?

In order for the veneers to fit comfortably on your teeth, a very thin layer of enamel must be removed from the outside of the affected teeth. Because tooth enamel does not grow back once it is lost, the tooth will always need some sort of protection moving forward – whether you choose to replace your veneer when the time comes or switch to a dental crown.

The material that bonds the veneer to the tooth is 100% safe, and the procedure does not increase the risk of cavities. That said, you should still brush and floss every day (and come in for a checkup and cleaning at least twice a year) to prevent decay from occurring on the tooth underneath the veneer.

Is There Anything I Can’t Eat with Veneers?

While you’re wearing the temporary veneers before the permanent ones are placed, you’ll want to avoid certain foods. Crunchy items like ice, hard candy, and raw fruits and vegetables could damage the restorations, and sticky foods could actually pull them off your teeth. Temporary veneers also stain more easily, so limit darkly pigmented foods and drinks.

For the most part, you can enjoy all of your favorite foods again once your permanent veneers have been placed. However, you should still be wary of extremely hard foods that could cause breakage. Also, consume alcohol sparingly, as there’s a chance it could weaken the bonding material over time.

Do Veneers Give You a Lisp?

Some people have difficulty pronouncing certain words when their veneers are first placed. The small difference in thickness between your veneers and natural teeth may confuse the tongue, resulting in a slight lisp. This should only last a few days at most. Practicing saying certain words repeatedly (particularly those with a lot of “s” sounds) may help to help your tongue adjust more quickly.