Did You Know Veneers Can Help With Minor Misalignment?

If you have crooked or misaligned teeth that weren’t corrected when you were younger, getting braces now can seem daunting. Braces are time-consuming, have various care restrictions, and might not be your ideal aesthetic look.

Fortunately, if your teeth alignment problems are relatively minor, you can quickly and easily correct them with veneers instead. Find out from board-certified dentist Bella Pinkatz, DDS, located at Kew Gardens Dental P.C., in Queens, New York City, when veneers can fix your smile. 

What are veneers?

Veneers are discreet, slender shells placed on the front of your teeth after being custom-molded to fit them. They’re a permanent cosmetic treatment that improves the appearance of your teeth.

Veneers are made from porcelain or resin and have a natural-looking appearance. You care for them just like your natural teeth, and no one will be able to tell the difference between your veneers and your original teeth.

How veneers can correct a misaligned smile

Veneers can give you a perfect smile with a straightforward cosmetic lift. They can cover up different types of malocclusion, including:

• Crooked teeth
• Gaps in teeth
• An unbalanced-looking smile

At the same time, veneers can also correct other aspects of your smile you don’t like. These include discoloration, cracks or chips in your teeth, and the overall size and shape of your teeth.

Veneers are a cosmetic solution only and not a replacement for functional orthodontic work. If you need to correct issues like an over- or underbite, severely crooked or gapped teeth, or problems like chewing or speech caused by misalignment, you might need braces or other orthodontic treatment first. You can usually get veneers after your orthodontic work is complete.

However, when your tooth misalignment issues are minor and cosmetic, veneers are often a better choice than orthodontics. Correcting minor alignment problems with veneers comes with the following advantages:

It’s faster

Correcting teeth with orthodontics can take 1-2 years, which is a long commitment to correct only minor problems. Placing veneers is a quick process with results that last for many years.

There’s no special care required

Orthodontic treatments can require dietary restrictions, more complicated methods of brushing and flossing, and special cleaning techniques for orthodontic devices. In addition, some orthodontic treatments make dental care more challenging, increasing your risk of tooth decay.

Once placed, you take care of veneers exactly the way you take care of your other teeth.

You won’t have to wear braces in public 

Veneers give you a perfect glowing smile right away. When you get orthodontics, you need to wear metal braces or clear aligners over your teeth until treatment is complete.

You can correct other cosmetic imperfections all at once

Orthodontic treatments don’t fix cosmetic problems like stained teeth. With veneers, you can correct minor misalignment problems and other things you don’t like about your teeth’s appearance at the same time.

Placing veneers on your teeth

You make two office visits to Kew Gardens Dental, P.C., for Dr. Pinkatz to place your veneers. At the first appointment, we take enamel off your teeth and custom-fit temporary veneers.

You wear these while a lab creates custom permanent veneers. Once we ensure the permanent veneers are a good fit, we cement them to your teeth.

The procedures are painless when performed with a local numbing injection and require no special care once your veneers are cemented. A set can last for 20 years.

If your slightly crooked or gapped teeth have always bothered you, veneers are a rapid and effective solution. Contact us to find out if veneers are right for you.