Gum Veneers

Being young with black triangles in your mouth will make you look much older than you are. Fortunately, there is a perfect and quick solution that will bring back your flawless smile. Gum veneers are a quick, magic, painless solution often used to mask gum defects without any surgical intervention. 

In the following section, we will provide you with all details about gingival veneers to help you choose the suitable treatment for your case.

What are gum veneers?

Gum veneers are custom-made, removable esthetic prosthesis that mimic gingival appearance and texture in the smile zone. These gingival veneers are made from different materials:

• Flexible gum veneers made of medical-grade silicone
• Semi-rigid pink acrylic resin 
• Composite resin with gingival pink shades. 

It’s the same idea as snap-on veneers, a non-surgical alternative used to improve gingival appearance. They are often used to mask various gum defects in a short time and at a lower cost without treating the actual defects, just masking them, “camouflaging”. 

Gum Veneers or Pink Porcelain?

Gum veneers are a general concept of covering the defects in the gingiva with a pink, natural-like gum appearance; they can be removable as gum veneers or a part of artificial ceramic teeth that permanently cap certain teeth in the mouth, which is called pink porcelain.

A large bone defect causes gum recession and pulling away from the teeth. In such cases, cosmetic gum surgery can be done as a treatment for receding gums and regaining the bone volume.

If a patient can’t handle gum surgery for large areas of bone loss, gum veneers are a fast prosthetic solution that covers the defect without surgery.

In case of a localized periodontitis causing limited areas of gum recession related to one or two teeth that are prepared to be capped, this can be easily handled with permanent pink porcelain. Where the dentist asks the dental lab to fabricate a dental crown or a dental bridge with a gingival-like pink porcelain molded to it at the gingival part (after the cervical third of the tooth). This pink porcelain is permanently replacing the gingival recession around a couple of teeth, and is recorded precisely during intraoral scanning or impression taking for ceramic crowns and bridges.

Gingival porcelain is molded with the crown and bridge as a part of the prosthesis when requested, after the dental crown and bridge restoration is permanently cemented on the tooth. On the other hand, gum veneers are not related to dental caps, so the patient can wear them and take them out whenever they want.

When do dentists recommend gum veneers? 

The treatment for receding gums is usually gum transplant surgery (gum graft surgery), but this may not be recommended for some patients if:

• Medically-compromised patient and can’t withstand any surgical interventions.
• A patient who doesn’t have enough time for a surgery and the healing process, and needs a quick solution.
• Limited area of losing gums around teeth ike one or two teeth that don’t require extensive surgery
• A patient who can’t afford bone grafts or gum transplants.

That’s why dentists usually recommend pink gingival porcelain for small areas of receding gums. However, gum veneers are an ideal option to mask gingival defects and restore smile harmony in larger areas, for example, in a full quadrant of the jaws, or receding gums around the six or eight front teeth.  Both gingival porcelain and gingival veneers are often used in the following cases: 

• Long front teeth: as a result of losing the bone support and losing the gums surrounding the tooth, that’s why anterior teeth appear elongated and unnatural. 
• Gum recession: when gums pull away from the tooth surface, making teeth appear too long and causing tooth sensitivity. Dentists use gingival veneers to cover the exposed root with a natural-looking gingival tissue, restoring your smile. 
• Black triangles: while normal gingiva is well-drawn around each tooth in a scalloping line, creating a pink gingival triangle between them. Due to aggressive, incorrect tooth brushing, bone defects, these normal gingival triangles disappeared, leaving dark gaps called “black triangles”. A pink gingival porcelain fills these gaps perfectly when it affects two or three adjacent teeth; otherwise, gingival veneers are applicable for a peppered smile, “black triangles in the anterior teeth”, returning the healthy look of gingival tissue and the balanced natural smile. 
• Uneven gingival line: the gingival line is normally scalloping around the tooth surface, covering the root only and exposing the crown in a harmonic mixture. In some cases, these gum lines become irregular or uneven; a gingival-colored porcelain veneer can reshape the gum contour and return the proper frame of your smile. 
• Bony defects in cases where there are structural defects around teeth, gum veneer acts as a professional mask to these defects, returning the smooth transition between teeth and soft tissue around. Without the need for dental bone grafts and membranes.
• Dental prostheses improvement: to reach a more natural appearance, gingival veneers are added around dental crowns and bridges, or mal-positioned dental implants. Creating a more realistic restoration that blends seamlessly with your smile. 

Dental Material used for gingival veneers

Gingival veneers are made from biocompatible materials designed to match your natural gum colour. Materials are different according to the type of gum veneer. 

Fixed gum veneers are made from 

• High-quality Pink Porcelain, which provides a more premium advantage, including long durability, higher stain resistance, and a more natural appearance. 

Removable gum veneer made from: 

• Silicon is a flexible and comfortable option.  Providing a gentle feel with an optimum natural look. 
• Acrylic is an easily adjusted, lightweight material and easily shaded to the gum colour. At a reasonable price.
• Composite resin is a highly adapted material that is perfectly shaded to the gum colour and also easily repaired by the dentist. 

Are gum veneers permanent?

No, gum veneers are not permanent. They are designed as a temporary, removable prosthetic appliance that you must take out of your mouth every single night.

And they also have a life span from 1 to 3 years before replacement with completely new gum veneers. In contrast, pink porcelain is a permanent coverage for the gums that have undergone mild to moderate deterioration. Its lifespan is similar to that of porcelain crowns, which range from 7 to 15 years in the patient’s mouth. 

Why is gum surgery better than gum veneers?

Although gum veneers are a fast, painless solution for gum defects with a natural-like result, cosmetic gum surgery is superior for gum shape treatment as it is a permanent, healthier, life-long treatment. Gum veneers are made of silicon or resins that need to be replaced. These materials can deteriorate with time.

• The material can become porous with time and accumulate bacteria and food debris
• Resins, acrylic, and silicone get degraded in the mouth environment, surrounded by saliva, food, drinks, and so on.
• Unfitted gum veneers can cause further gum inflammation, gingivitis, bleeding, root exposure, and accelerate jawbone resorption.
• Gum veneers can cause a fungal infection if food debris gets trapped beneath it, with no cleansing and with poor oral hygiene.

That’s why many dentists see that gum surgeries are the ideal treatment and with much better permanent results over temporary prosthetic appliances.

How to take care of the gingival veneers? 

Taking care of your gingival veneers is important to maintain their job without losing them. It’s totally like you have a prosthetic restoration, which requires a meticulous oral care routine. We recommend starting with: 

1. Maintain healthy underlying tissue: it’s essential to make sure the underlying gingiva is healthy without any active diseases to avoid any potential complications and ensure restoration stability for life. 
2. Remove it before sleeping, and brush the fitting surface carefully with a suitable brush.
3. Store it in saline solution or water during sleeping time.
4. Constant teeth brushing and flossing daily prevents any plaque and bacterial accumulation around the edges of the gingival restorations. Maintaining a clean and healthy environment around the gum veneer. 
5. Use specialised cleaning tools like a soft-bristle toothbrush, a water flosser, and an interdental brush if needed. 
6. Regular dental checkups every 6 months to monitor the case and treat any abnormalities at the beginning. Ensuring the long-term success of the pink gingival porcelain. 

Ultimately, if you want a Hollywood smile makeover and worry about your defective gums and the dental surgery, it’s available now to cover it with gingival veneers while enjoying a natural-like, perfect smile with a cost-effective restoration. A gingival veneer provides a seamless cosmetic camouflage to various gum defects.

FAQs

Gum Veneers FAQs

How much do gum veneers cost?

Gum veneers are an affordable alternative to other surgical options. In Turkey, they are often included as part of your smile makeover. While gum veneers in the UK can cost 3000USD or more for fixed crowns with pink porcelain.