What to know before choosing Dental Veneers!

Interested in dental veneers but don't know which questions to ask your dentist? Today we will address some of the most important points regarding this procedure!

E.max (or lithium disilicate) dental veneers are Dr. Carreño's choice for a long-lasting and aesthetically beautiful smile. These veneers are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of natural-looking pressed ceramic designed to cover the front surface of teeth, and can be a wonderful option to improve the appearance of your smile. Veneers are bonded to the front of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, and/or length. E.max veneers can be an excellent option for many patients, and it is important to understand the care involved in maintaining your veneers over the years.

Why e.max veneers?

E.max, or lithium disilicate, is the best material for dental veneers available on the global market, and is used by celebrity dentists in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and Dubai to provide smile transformations with minimal drilling using a long-lasting material. These veneers are designed by Dr. Carreño together with a lab technician by computer and printed in CAD/CAM (3D printer) for precision. While in the United States and Canada these veneers can cost between $1,500-$4,000 per tooth, at TopDental in Manta Ecuador, Dr. Carreño provides e.max veneers at a tiny fraction of those prices. We can often transform a patient's smile with veneers on just the 6 or 8 upper anterior teeth, and always keep treatments as conservative as possible.

Emax veneers are primarily made of pressed ceramic, which makes them highly durable. Moreover, they come in thin layers, and this prevents the need for drilling teeth as much as traditional porcelain veneers. In fact, this is the most impressive feature of this type of veneer since most of the natural tooth is preserved, unlike with conventional veneers. Pressed ceramic veneers are highly translucent, so they appear more natural than conventional ones. These are stained and glazed after being made, which further improves the appearance.

Overall, Emax veneers offer lasting and highly satisfactory effects in terms of aesthetics, durability and quality of the material. Although cheaper, resin veneers should generally be avoided, especially for a full mouth makeover, as they can stain and become rough easily and quickly, and cause major irritation of the gums. Resin veneers are not a good long-term solution; while e.max veneers can last 15-20 years or more with proper care.

What is the procedure for placing veneers?

Before placing veneers, we always start with a comprehensive exam of the patient’s teeth in order to ensure that the patient’s dental health and anatomy are appropriate for veneers. Once we’ve ensured that veneers are indicated for this patient, in the first appointment we will prepare the tooth to make room for the veneer. We then take impressions and send them to one of the top dental laboratories in the country, where the custom veneers will be designed and created together with Dr. Carreño. In the meantime, we’ll give the patient temporary veneers. The lab will send us the "trial" veneers that our team has designed, and the patient will have a chance to try them on and make any adjustments they wish. Once the patient’s permanent veneers come back from the dental lab, we’ll place the veneers permanently.

How can I take care of my veneers?

It is important to take good care of your veneers in order to maximize their life span, which can be decades if well maintained. In addition to good home care and regular dental visits for cleaning and examinations every 3-6 months, patients should avoid eating hard foods like ice, hard candy, nuts and other foods that could chip the veneers. We also recommend using a night guard to protect your veneers from grinding and bruxism.

Are you interested in E.max veneers as an option to improve your smile? Contact us at topdentalmanta@gmail.com or +593 959146867 to set up an appointment! And check out our YouTube channel to see examples of our clinical cases!

Dr. Victor Carreño

M.Sc. University of Manchester

TopDental Manta

Via Barbasquillo and Calle Universitaria 12

Manta Ecuador