Planning to get veneers to have a beautiful smile, but wondering whether or not you’d have to get braces or Invisalign treatment first?
The answer is that it just kind of depends on the situation of how crooked or crowded the teeth are and the result that you’re trying to get with porcelain veneers. If the teeth are very crooked or crowded, and you want to do veneers, the dentist might recommend doing Invisalign or braces first in order to improve the alignment of the teeth before the veneers. But if the teeth are overall pretty straight, generally, you can directly go with veneers if you want to improve your smile.
So, let’s take it a little further: when you might need orthodontic work before getting veneers and when you won’t.
When Braces or Invisalign May Be Needed Before Veneers
There are situations when Braces or Invisalign becomes mandatory before getting veneers to improve your smile. Some of these situations are:
1. Major Crookedness or Crowding
Very crooked or crowded teeth may require braces or Invisalign as a precursor to veneers. Later on, after your teeth are straightened, veneers can best fit each tooth, providing you with a natural and stunning smile. For minor misalignment, veneers might go directly onto the teeth.
2. Correcting an Extreme Overbite or Underbite
In cases of overbites or underbites, where the upper or lower teeth protrude significantly forward, braces can balance your bite before placing veneers. A better-balanced bite, with all the back teeth in contact but not with the incisors, minimizes the chances that the veneers will incur wear and damage over time.
3. Alignment Issues
Sometimes, misaligned teeth can even cause other dental issues, such as TMJ (jaw joint), bruxism, or pain in the jaw’s hinge. Any of these conditions call for orthodontic treatment to place your teeth in the correct alignment and allow your bite to become better improved. Veneers cannot commonly fix deeper alignment issues, so braces or Invisalign may be the best first course.
How Braces Can Help Before Veneers?
There are a few key reasons why braces or Invisalign sometimes need to be done before veneers are contemplated:
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Correct issues in your bite:
A balanced bite will make your veneers less likely to wear down from grinding and clenching, as well as improve the appearance of your veneers.
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Braces Help in cases of Crowded Teeth:
In crowding, it is tough to place veneers. Thus, braces or Invisalign will facilitate easier placement of veneers with natural and proportionate appearances by adjusting spacing.
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Solve Alignment Problems:
Patients with alignment problems such as TMJ or bruxism may consider orthodontic treatment for alignment-related problems. Veneers can then be conducted once there is perfect alignment of the patient’s bite toward creating a much-enhanced smile.
Do Braces Guarantee an Enhanced Veneer Smile?
While useful, braces are not always necessary. Most patients get veneers with no prior braces or Invisalign. Veneers alone will bring a great aesthetic advantage: a symmetrically aligned smile that appears straight and nearly imperceptibly crooked; the color of your teeth becomes enhanced a shade lighter and whiter.
Small cracks or discoloration can be rebuilt and restored back to the original healthier version with veneers.
Conclusion
Whether or not you’ll have braces or Invisalign before putting in veneers depends on the nature of your dental condition. When teeth are significantly overcrowded, have pronounced bite problems, or have other difficult alignment issues, braces or Invisalign may be the better first approach.
Still, if most of your teeth are already aligned correctly, veneers can often be simply applied to enhance the overall aesthetic quality of your smile. Your dentist is the best person to counsel you regarding the best approach for your situation.
