Can Veneers Widen Your Smile?

Veneers are artificial shells placed on the surface of teeth to cover up a number of cosmetic issues. Patients who have cosmetic problems, whether teeth are chipped, cracked, stained, or too small, frequently hide these imperfections by not smiling. This can impact self-confidence and affect a person’s daily quality of life. A patient with a smile that seems too small or narrow may want to consider this simple solution to create a broader, fuller look.

Techniques to widen a smile

Sometimes patients have overgrown gums that shrink the overall appearance of a smile. In other cases, teeth that are farther back in the mouth are too small and create a narrow arch. No matter the problem, these thin restorations can be applied to any small, worn, uneven, crowded, or misaligned teeth, and the end result is a smile with a much larger upper arch.

Advantages of restoration treatment

There are other options for broadening a smile, braces being the most popular, but if nothing is wrong with a patient’s bite, why go through the extra hassle? Veneers give off the appearance of a beautiful smile without doing any teeth rearranging or realigning. If patients need more convincing, these are the top advantages to getting this restoration treatment.

Quick, painless procedures

When a patient makes an appointment to get veneers, they can expect a maximum of two appointments to complete treatment. Patients who get composite restorations only need a single appointment, but patients with porcelain need two because the shells must be made in a lab. Once the shells are in the dental office, the dentist removes a thin portion of the tooth’s surface and bonds the shell to it. A little sculpting may be necessary to finalize the shape of the teeth, and then patients are good to go.

Long-lasting durability

Veneers are a great fit for patients who want to spend as little time as possible at the dentist’s office. Composite restorations can last for five years, and porcelain ones have been shown to last over 10 with proper care. When deciding to get treatment, discussing the material choices is a must, as it can determine how soon replacements will be needed.

Bonus cosmetic repairs

Since these restorations are only fixed to the front of teeth, patients’ bites remain mostly unaltered. However, shells come in different colors and sizes, and patients can choose whiter, larger ones when they go in for treatment. By doing so, multiple cosmetic issues can be fixed at the same time. If patients have a narrow smile and teeth that are discolored or minimally damaged, veneers can be a real win.