If you have crooked teeth or just want a whiter, more uniform-looking smile, you've probably heard that veneers can do that for you. However, if you're afraid or have a phobia about having your teeth drilled, veneers might not be an option for you. Here is more about drilling with veneers, and what options you can choose.

The Veneer Installation Process

Veneers are a tooth-shaped layer of porcelain that's laid on top of a tooth to give it the appearance of a beautiful tooth. The shape, color, and symmetry to surrounding teeth is perfect, allowing you to get the smile you want quickly and easily. You can have as little as one veneer put in place, or have all of your teeth covered by veneers if you'd like.

While teeth don't need to be drilled in the same way as cavities to place a veneer, some drilling is still necessary. Dentists will use a specialized drill to trim the tooth down so that the veneer fits smoothly and doesn't bulge forward beyond where your teeth naturally lay.

Unfortunately, for people with strong anxiety surrounding dental drills, this may make veneers an unappealing option.

Braces and Tooth Whitening

One potential choice is to have your teeth whitened and straightened with braces or invisible braces instead. Unfortunately, there are of course some downsides to this process. While veneers immediately provide the appearance of a white and aligned smile once in place, braces can take years to improve the appearance of your smile.

Lumineers

Lumineers are almost exactly like veneers, except better. Lumineers are made out of a much thinner substance than veneers, but offer the same level of strength and durability as veneers. As a result, drilling the teeth to allow the lumineers to lay flat is generally not necessary.

Since Lumineers generally don't require any shaving or drilling of the teeth, they can be installed in a two-step process. The first part will require your dentist to take an impression of your teeth, which will allow them to have your new Lumineers manufactured. Once your Lumineers are ready, you can come back to the dentist's office and have them adhered to your teeth.

Lumineers are the superior choice to veneers, and provide their wearers with much quicker results than whitening and straightening one's teeth could offer. If you're self-conscious about your smile, talk to your dentist about getting Lumineers. Click here for more info.

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