No-Prep Veneers: Are They Always the Best Solution?

Dental veneers often form a major part of any smile makeover as this treatment is extremely versatile. If you are considering a smile makeover or any sort of cosmetic improvement to the appearance of your teeth, it’s highly likely veneers will be suggested.

What Is a Veneer?

A veneer is a very thin shell that is perhaps similar to a false fingernail and which will cover up the front surface of a tooth. It is bonded to the tooth surface creating a relatively strong restoration. Veneers can be used to improve the overall appearance of your teeth. This means it covers up any that are badly stained or discolored.

It also corrects other cosmetic problems like small chips and cracks or irregularities with the way teeth are spaced. They can even be used to correct small problems with alignment, where a tooth might only just overlap another or where it is slightly protrusive. Veneers can be made from porcelain or composite resin.

If you choose composite resin veneers then the resin is applied directly to the front surface of your tooth before being hardened, shaped and polished. Composite resin veneers are cheaper than porcelain. They will not last nearly as long and they may become stained after a few years of use. It can be a better long-term solution to consider porcelain veneers, which with the proper care could last for ten years or more.

Conventional Veneers and Tooth Preparation

However, teeth do need to be prepared for conventional veneers. The amount of tooth structure removed isn’t significant. It is typically only a small amount of tooth material from the front of the tooth and may be the biting surface. The average porcelain veneer is around 0.5 mm in thickness so extensive tooth preparation isn’t necessary.

It is important to remove a minimal amount of tooth structure as otherwise, your veneers could feel bulky and they may look unnatural. Even so, once any tooth structure has been removed it does leave the tooth more vulnerable to decay. It also means that the tooth will always need to be protected as this procedure is not reversible.

A tooth that has been prepared for veneers will require some form of protection for the rest of its natural life. This goes for whether this is in the form of dental veneers or crowns.

How Do No Prep Veneers Differ from Conventional Veneers?

With no-prep veneers, any sort of extensive tooth preparation is unnecessary so your teeth will remain largely unchanged. Instead, these veneers are so thin, being typically the thickness of a contact lens. This is so that they can simply be bonded onto the front surface of a tooth without looking or feeling bulky and unnatural.

This procedure is reversible, although your dentist will need to remove the dental cement used to bond the veneer. Minimal prep veneers are far more common and as the name suggests these only require minimal reshaping in preparation for the veneer. By removing just a tiny amount of material, the teeth can be reshaped to ensure a more visually appealing fit and finish.

This technique might sound ideal, but really minimal prep and no-prep veneers are only suitable in certain circumstances. For example, your dentist might suggest this option if your teeth are too small. They may also be a good choice for repairing and restoring teeth that have become worn down, perhaps due to extensive teeth grinding.

Minimal prep and no-prep veneers might be a good solution for closing up gaps in between teeth. It can also be a good solution for covering up teeth that are slightly stained or misshapen. One situation where they can be particularly effective is in covering up what are called peg laterals. These are the two teeth on either side of your upper front teeth, and which in some people will be too small and underdeveloped.

Covering them up can create a more visually appealing smile in a way that is very non-invasive and quick.

What to Expect If You Have No-Prep Veneers

If your tooth enamel is in good condition, it’s frequently possible to bond no-prep or minimal prep veneers directly onto the tooth surface. With this procedure, you may not even require dental anesthetic and it’s unlikely to create any problems with tooth sensitivity. Another advantage of choosing this type of restoration is that you won’t need any temporary veneers.

This procedure is extremely non-invasive and is often reversible because the teeth will still be intact underneath the veneers. However, it is important to bear in mind that it is not always easy to remove veneers as they are bonded onto the teeth very firmly.

What to Expect with Conventional Veneers

With conventional veneers, some tooth preparation is required. Once the teeth are prepared they usually need to be covered up with temporary veneers to prevent issues with tooth sensitivity and to protect the teeth. This isn’t necessarily such a bad thing, as often temporary veneers are created to closely mimic the final restorations.

This allows patients to have a sort of trial run of their teeth before the permanent restorations of made. This means if any alterations are required, they can be made before the permanent veneers are ready to be bonded onto the teeth.

Minimal Prep or No-Prep Veneers Aren’t Always Possible

Any patient visiting their dentist will always be advised to have the most conservative treatment possible to achieve their desired outcome. If dentists feel that no-prep or minimal prep veneers are a good solution for your smile makeover, your dentist will definitely suggest considering this treatment. Unfortunately, there are often times when these types of veneers simply aren’t suitable.

Adding even the very thinnest veneers onto the front of the tooth surface without preparing it will not produce the desired results. When used in the correct situations, minimal prep or no-prep veneers can make a huge difference to a smile in a very short space of time. It’s very important to be clear about your aims and desires before work begins.

Although no-prep or minimal prep veneers are very non-invasive, they may not work well for anyone who wants to make a significant change. Especially to the appearance of their teeth or to their color.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Scabies and Pubic Lice

Sexually transmitted diseases, also known as venereal diseases are infections that are transmitted from one person to the other during sexual intercourse. There are more than 20 types of sexually transmitted diseases known caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and yeasts.

These diseases usually affect both men and women. However, the signs and symptoms tend to be more severe among women than men, especially when a woman gets pregnant. Sexually transmitted diseases are also a major contributing factor to preterm birth.

Having safe sex with a partner who is not infected, as well as, having sex with protection, using latex condoms, helps decrease the risk for any such infection, even though it can’t totally eliminate it.

Scabies and pubic lice, commonly known as crabs are one of many types of sexually transmitted diseases which are highly contagious, affecting both men and women, characterized by severe discomfort, pain, itchiness, redness of the genital area, etc.

Scabies

Anyone can get scabies, a mite that burrows into the skin. Scabies is transmitted from one person to the other during close direct contact, including sexual intercourse. These mites make burrows with are hardly visible by the human eye as they are very tiny only .2-.6 inches long. Blisters on the skin may also be noticed at the end of burrows.

It will take about 4 to 6 weeks after exposure for the first signs and symptoms to become noticeable. The burrows become raised and itchiness starts which is usually intense, especially after a shower, physical activity, etc.

Scratching these skin burrows can cause infection, making the situation even worse. A rash can affect any part of the human body, but these mites prefer moist and warm areas, just like the genital area. The signs and symptoms of scabies tend to appear quicker after exposure in a person who has already had scabies in the past.

Scabies is diagnosed by a physical examination of the rash. A rash scrapping might also be looked at under the microscope. Your healthcare provider will identify mite eggs, the mites themselves or fecal matter of these mites.

Scabies is treated with topical or oral medications which are prescribed by your healthcare provider. Both partners should be treated at the same time and sexual abstinence is needed in order to prevent any further spread of these mites from one another. A good personal hygiene including not sharing the same towels and other clothes, or daily changing of the bed linens are necessary as well.

After finishing the treatment course prescribed by your healthcare provider, you might have some skin itchiness even for about 2 more weeks. If the first treatment course has not eliminated all the burrows, talk to your health care provider as retreatment might be needed.

You can prevent scabies by maintaining a good personal hygiene and avoiding contact with an infected person. Leading a healthy sexual life is also very important. However, it is good to know that latex condoms will not protect you from scabies as these mites can be anywhere including the clothes, the towels, bed linens, etc. If you suspect that you have scabies, seek medical help immediately and get treated as soon as possible.

Pubic Lice

Pubic lice are tiny insects that live on the human’s skin. They are commonly known as crabs and tend to live away from their host for about 24 hours. Public lice, just as their name says, tend to infect the parts of the human body covered by hair such as the pubic area, the armpit, the mustache, the beard, the eyebrows, or even the hair. As they are very tiny, they are hardly visualized.

Both men and women can get pubic lace, usually transmitted from one person to the other through sexual contact. The signs and symptoms usually start to become noticeable about 5 days after the infection consisting mostly of severe itchiness. Skin itchiness increases the risk of getting a skin infection.

Treatment of pubic lice consists in using special shampoos, lotions, and topical creams which will help kill these pubic lice. In cases of a skin infection, antibiotics might be needed as well. Both you and your partner should get treated at the same time. Sex abstaining is also needed which will prevent a further spread of pubic lice from one another.

You can prevent pubic lice by maintaining a good personal hygiene and avoiding contact with an infected person. Leading a healthy sexual life is also very important. It is good to know that latex condoms will not protect you from pubic lice. If you suspect that you have pubic lice, seek medical help immediately and get treated as soon as possible.