How to Meet the Criteria for Being a Candidate for Veneers

Not everybody can or should receive veneers. Some people do not meet the basic criteria and are therefore refused when visiting a cosmetic dentist. To avoid delays on receiving your veneers, you should consider certain factors that make you a good candidate-and make sure you meet all necessary criteria.

Instructions

• 1

  Research the procedure carefully. Resin and ceramic or porcelain veneers require very different plans of action and may entail several weeks of visits to the dentist for fittings, bonding and additional procedures. Understand the procedure from soup to nuts before you start treatment.

• 2

  Treat any underlying issues with your teeth. Being a candidate for veneers means having all cavities treated in advance. If you need extractions or repair for previously treated teeth, this should also be done in advance. This is a general criteria maintained by all dentists to ensure that the veneers will adhere properly to the surface of the teeth, without health or cosmetic complications.

• 3

  Make sure your gums are in good health. To meet the criteria for being a candidate for veneers, you need to make sure that no gum disease is present. Gums that are inflamed or sensitive to heat or cold should also be examined by your dentist before veneers can be applied.

• 4

  Make a 10-year plan. A dentist will probably not consider you a good candidate for veneers if you have unrealistic expectations of what the results will be or if you are looking for a permanent solution. Veneers need to be replaced after 10 to 15 years.

• 5

  Have your jaw examined to establish what type of bite you have. People whose lower jaw is more prominent than the upper (known to dentists as a Class III bite) are not good candidates for veneers, because the impact on their teeth when they bite down can damage the veneers. This can be resolved by wearing braces to improve the bite, but would delay the application of veneers considerably (up to 2 years, depending on how long the braces must be worn).