Perfect Porcelain Veneer Tooth Shapes For Your New Smile
With so many different cosmetic dental treatments options to improve and enhance your smile, porcelain veneers are widely considered to be the best possible treatment for perfect teeth. But after you make the decision to get veneers, another important choice comes apparent–what tooth shape is most suitable for you specifically.
The fact that porcelain veneers cover many different issues such as malformations of your teeth, chipped or cracked teeth, or teeth discoloration, make this treatment preferable by most people over other different treatments like, for example, teeth whitening, which only changes the shade of your teeth and leave any other possible issue such as cracking or chipping completely unaddressed.
Porcelain veneers are more natural than any other kind of veneer such as metallic, zirconium, or composite veneers. This is why they are used mostly on frontal teeth, which have more aesthetic importance than the rest of your teeth and are not as involved in the chewing process like molars, and premolars are.
Choosing Shape and Color
To choose the right porcelain veneer for you, there are many factors that need to be considered: color, shape and material of the veneer are some of the most important. This also means that in order to choose the best teeth shape porcelain veneers, you should also consider which the shade of whiteness or color that you would want on your smile is.
The shade of a porcelain veneer is based on bleaching categories, which go from BL1 to BL4, with BL1 being the whitest and BL4 representing four shades darker than BL1. It is highly recommended to choose a porcelain veneer color that is fewer than two shades darker than your current teeth’s whiteness. This is to obtain the most natural possible look. If shades are too different between the veneers you apply and your real teeth, you get the risk of getting a smile that looks unnatural and fake.
According to the Cosmetic Dentist Arthur Glosman, DDS in Beverly Hills, porcelain veneers can be classified into 12 different styles describing the characteristic smile they wish to portray.
- Aggressive–square, round central and lateral incisors with gently curved or semi-straight canines. This is perfect for men as well as women who may want to project a rather strong personality.
- Dominant–square, round central incisors, rounded far corner of lateral incisors, and sharply pointed canines; lateral incisors are chipped a little bit higher than the central incisors.
- Enhanced–slightly rounded edges of both central and lateral incisors with the lateral incisors slightly higher or shorter than the central incisors to give it a gull-wing appearance; canines are bluntly pointed. This style of smile particularly is one of the most popular styles of porcelain veneers chosen by females those who wish to compete in beauty pageants as well as engage in photo-op sessions where a perfectly looking pearly whites is a must.
- Focused–similar to an Enhanced Style unless the central incisors are square without rounded edges.
- Functional–similar to an Enhanced Style except the canines are more pointed.
- Hollywood–similar to an Aggressive Style but with the lateral incisors slightly offset or shorter from the central incisors. This is one of the most sought after porcelain veneer styles among males as it provides an excellent show of teeth without being overly aggressive.
- Mature–similar to an Aggressive Style but with the canines slightly more pointed.
- Natural–similar to an Enhanced Style but with the canines more aggressively pointed
- Oval–similar to an Aggressive style unless all the incisors and canines take on a more rounded or oval shape.
- Softened–similar to an Oval Style but with a less pronounced curvature of the edges of the teeth.
- Vigorous–similar to an Aggressive Style unless the canines are more pronounced, is protruding well into the oral cavity like a fang.
- Youthful–similar to an Oval Style but with more pronounced and protruding canines like in a Vigorous Style.
After making a decision regarding the veneer’s shade and color, now you need to decide which the perfect shape for you is. The shaping of veneers focus on the main six teeth: two lateral incisors, two central incisors, and two canines.
Each set of these can be shaped to look squarish or rounded at one or both of your tooth’s corners. Lateral incisors can also be shaped with different lengths (longer or shorter) compared to the length of your central incisors. However, canines may be shaped into a gentle arc or leveled as a straight edge
All these combinations lead too very different styles and are valid options. All of them can be used for you to decide along with your cosmetic dentist, which is the most suitable for your new smile!
