When you’re not confident in your smile, it can do real damage to your self-esteem. Feeling a need to hide your teeth shouldn’t keep you from smiling, laughing and interacting freely with the people around you. Advancements in cosmetic dentistry can transform your smile more easily than you ever imagined. Dental veneers and dental laminate treatments can both produce spectacular results in a relatively short time frame, but which one is right for you?

Choosing Between Dental Laminate and Dental Veneer Products

Exploring your cosmetic dentistry options through even the most cursory web search yields dozens of options. It’s not easy to know which is best for your needs through research alone.

Dental veneers, like the popular Lumineers product, are thin porcelain shells that fit over your existing teeth. They’re custom shaped and colored to blend seamlessly with the rest of your teeth and can close gaps between them, cover chips or even mask discoloration. In some cases, your natural teeth will need to be filed lightly to ensure proper fit and adhesion.

Veneers, on the other hand, are placed in a two-part process, with temporaries often necessary during the fabrication period between sessions. They’re stronger than composite laminates, lasting an average of 10-15 years to the 5-7-year range offered by dental laminate applications. The process is longer, but the results can be more long-lasting and the range of issues correctable through veneers is a bit broader than that of laminates. Dental veneers do tend to be more expensive, though the cost can be offset by how long they last before maintenance is likely to be needed.

Composite dental laminates can be completed in a single visit. they are applied, sculpted and cured in the dentist’s office as opposed to the off-site fabrication required for dental veneers. Preparatory work to the surface of the tooth is minimal, so composite laminates are more easily reversible with less likelihood of causing damage to the natural tooth. Less invasive and often less expensive, dental laminates are a great option for some patients. The material can be removed and replaced with relative ease, though the range of defects dental laminate applications can minimize is a bit narrower.

Dental Laminate or Veneers: What’s Right for Me?

You can familiarize yourself with the processes and materials, but it’s not so easy to make a determination on your own which will be the best fit for your unique needs. Call Sonoma Dental in Fenton, Michigan today to schedule a free consultation for dental laminates and dental veneers.

We’ll help you explore all your options for correcting your smile, from dental laminate products to more involved solutions. We keep your needs our first priority throughout the process. We understand there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for beautiful, healthy smiles. We work hard to help all of our patients make informed decisions about their care. We will help you achieve the smile of your dreams. Call today to learn more about dental laminates and dental veneer processes and to make an appointment for expert consultation in our convenient Fenton or Grand Blanc dentist office.