Chicagoans asking: "How do veneers work?" guided through the process to a better smile

Veneers are widely considered a quick, yet durable way to improve your smile. It's no wonder that they are among the most popular cosmetic dental treatments.

It may seem too good to be true that with minimal preparation and time in the dentist's chair you can walk away with a brand new smile, free of even the most distressing stains, gaps, crowding, chips, and cracks.

This is no fairytale, thanks to the way veneers work.

First, veneers are thin pieces of porcelain. Those strips of porcelain are securely affixed to the front of your teeth.

Second, Big Smile Dental will determine if veneers are a good option for your teeth. Generally, a good candidate for veneers may:

• Have very dark or gray stains that can't be removed with bleaching treatments
• Want to reshape teeth
• Wish to lengthen or shorten the tooth
• Need to close gaps, address crowding or slightly reposition teeth

Third, if porcelain veneers are deemed a good choice, Big Smile Dental will begin the process of preparing your tooth for the veneer and the process of creating the porcelain layers that will become the new outer layer of your tooth.

Fourth, if you are a better candidate for traditional veneers, a slight amount of tooth enamel is removed to make room for these thin layers of porcelain.

Fifth, to make the most natural-looking veneers possible Big Smile Dental will use a shade guide to determine the color of porcelain most closely matching the teeth to each side of the tooth being veneered. Some areas also may need more (or less) translucence than others as the face of your tooth is recreated.

Sixth, impressions or models are taken. They are used to make your veneers. Veneers are usually no thicker than a contact lens or fingernail.

Seventh, once the veneers are made Big Smile Dental will check the fit, shape and color before bonding them to the front of the tooth. They are applied comfortably and effectively with a dental bonding glue or cement.

Eighth, Big Smile Dental will check to see how your upper and lower teeth fit together with your improved teeth. If the bite remains fine with the veneers, it's time to enjoy your new smile!

Contrary to popular belief, when the veneers are set to the front of your teeth they are not delicate flowers. Available science and products mean veneers are as durable and resilient as they are beautiful.

As long as you keep up with good oral hygiene as you would with natural teeth, you should expect veneers to last 5, 10, 20 years or more. As with your natural teeth, though, habits such as grinding and clenching can damage your new pearly whites. Big Smile Dental can customize a guard to be worn in your mouth at night if that is a problem and discuss any other concerns you may have about "How do veneers work?" by first calling 773-772-8400 to set up an appointment.