Frequently Asked Questions

A veneer is a thin porcelain shell bonded on top of the natural tooth. It is approximately a half millimeter thick, roughly the same as a baby’s fingernail. The natural tooth requires minimal preparation—sometimes none at all. With a veneer there’s no dark line above the tooth, which is often the case with a crown. A crown—or cap—covers the entire tooth and reduces it to a peg. Preparation for veneers is more conservative than for crowns and requires a less invasive procedure. For all of these reasons, veneers are the treatment of choice at Vancouver Dental Spa.

Veneers should last from 10 to 15 years, sometimes longer. They’re significantly more resistant to stain and discoloration and, unlike your natural teeth, maintain their brightness and luster for many years.

A Smile Makeover is a change in the lower third of a patient’s face. By widening the smile and building out the teeth (perhaps by lengthening them, adding more anatomy and translucency) using veneers,we can create a more dynamic smile that in some cases slightly fills out the lips and provides the patient with a fuller, more youthful appearance. It is similar to a facelift from the nose down—without the scalpel.

Yes, a Smile Makeover will look totally natural and be undetectable—friends will simply think you returned from a vacation looking refreshed. Often, lips begin to sag over time and lose their elasticity. Because their primary support comes from the teeth, by widening and lengthening those teeth, lips appear more youthful. Based on the patient’s age, skin tone, and gender, teeth color and shape are selected to enhance the appearance from the nose down. The procedure is non-invasive and the result looks natural.

Inside each tooth lies a slender strand of ‘pulp’, which contains nerves and blood vessels that provide nutrients to the tooth. If the pulp becomes infected or injured, the tooth’s nerves die, and without endodontic treatment the tooth dies as well. Endodontic treatment (a root canal) is needed to prevent the infection from spreading into the tissues of the face. If this happens there will sometimes be facial or gum swelling and pain. During root canals, we remove infection within the tooth and fill the space with a plastic filling material. The only other option would be to have the tooth extracted. Extractions are generally considered a last resort, and are only done of the tooth cannot be saved.