Getting Teeth Veneers Before Your Wedding in Dubai: A Timeline Working Back From the Big Day

Introduction

Wedding planning in Dubai is all about the lists: venue, outfits, guest numbers, photographers, henna night, reception. A smile makeover is usually the last thing to be added, often only after someone has gone through their engagement photos and just thought ‘oh my God, I wish my teeth were a bit more even’.

Teeth veneers can be planned around a wedding, but they only really work when you’ve got time. If you’re making a decision about shade or shape under pressure, it’s very difficult to go back on that once the porcelain’s bonded.

This article works backwards from the wedding date to explain what each stage entails so you can see when to start and how much time to leave.

Table of Contents

• Why timing matters more than people expect
• Six months or more before: the assessment
• Treatment that may need to come first
• Three to four months before: design and a trial smile
• Two months before: preparation and fitting
• Final weeks: settling in
• Wedding week: small precautions
• Conclusion
• Contact Us

Why timing matters more than people expect

The veneer appointments themselves aren’t really long. Once you’ve got a plan, the actual veneers tend to be a few appointments spread over a couple of weeks. The time is spent on all the bits around them really: checking your teeth and gums, treating anything that needs treating, designing the shape and shade and then obviously you need a bit of time to get used to the result.

A very comfortable timeline too, which allows for some flexibility. If you need to make a small tweak to a veneer, you’d want that done weeks before the wedding rather than days before.

Six months or more before: the assessment

Book in for a consultation around six months in advance and you’ll have the widest choice of options. The dentist will examine your teeth and gums, take X-rays if necessary, check your bite and go through what you’d like to change. It’s useful to bring in photos of the smiles you like as well as photos of your own smile that you’re unhappy with. Both are useful.

Be very clear about your dates. Let the dentist know your wedding date, any travel you’re doing and any earlier events such as an engagement shoot or henna night. At Magnum Dental Clinic in JVC, we can plan your appointments around these dates to ensure each stage has plenty of time.

Treatment that may need to come first

Some people can just go straight into designing their veneers. Others need to do some groundwork first, and that can take months:

• Gum treatment, if there is bleeding or swelling, so the gums are healthy and stable before veneers are fitted
• Fillings or other treatment for decay
• Whitening of the teeth where veneers are not an option (as porcelain won’t respond to whitening) so the veneer shade will be matched after your whitening has settled.
• Clear aligners or braces for crowded or spaced teeth, which can take many months on their own

If straightening is the plan, then six months may well be insufficient for both the aligners and the veneers. The dentist may then recommend a staged approach with the whitening and the minor bits of work done prior to the wedding and the full treatment carried out afterwards. That can take a massive amount of the pressure off the final few months.

Three to four months before: design and a trial smile

Having completed the groundwork, the veneers can be designed. Your dentist will plan the shape, length and shade in relation to your face, lips and gum line. Digital scans and photographs are typically used at this stage, and a trial smile may be an option (temporary material placed over your own teeth so that you can see the proposed shape in the mirror and on camera).

Make the most of this stage. Smile, have a chat and take some photos in a variety of lighting (the warm evening light that’s so common at wedding venues is ideal). Consider shade. Very bright white can be quite striking up close but may be a bit too much against your skin in the photograph. A shade that works with your skin tone is likely to look much more natural on camera.

Two months before: preparation and fitting

Once the design is agreed, the teeth are prepared. For porcelain veneers, this typically involves the removal of a very small amount of enamel so that the veneers sit in a natural way and don’t look bulky. A scan or impression is sent off to the lab, and temporary veneers are often placed in the meantime whilst the final ones are being manufactured.

The final veneers are tried in, checked for fit and colour and then bonded in place. Your bite is checked and adjusted as required. The intention is to have them fitted 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding, which allows for a follow-up if anything at all needs fine-tuning.

Final weeks: settling in

New teeth veneers can feel a bit odd at first. You may notice a very slight difference in certain sounds or be aware of the new edges with your lips, and most people settle in very quickly. Use those first few weeks to get used to them. Just go out and practice your vows/speech as much as you like.

Book in a follow-up check at some point during this period so that your dentist can polish out any rough spots and confirm your bite feels right. Have a professional cleaning around 2-3 weeks prior to the wedding to keep your gums as calm and healthy as possible for the photos. Don’t start any new dental treatment in the final few weeks.

Wedding week: small precautions

• Skip the hard or sticky foods that will put stress on the edges (ice cubes, nuts in the shell, hard sweets, etc.).
• Don’t use your teeth to open bottles, hair clips or packaging, however busy things get
• Pack a small kit for the day with a folding toothbrush, floss picks and lip balm.
• Wear your night guard if one was prescribed (even on the late nights).
• Drink some water between your cups of coffee or karak to keep your mouth fresh.

Conclusion

Teeth veneers can absolutely be incorporated into your wedding planning if you give them sufficient time. You can start as early as six months out and have a full assessment carried out, any necessary treatment done first, a full smile design and a few weeks to settle in. If you’re short of time, then a dentist can tell you what is realistically achievable prior to the wedding and what might be better off put off until after. Either way, your smile in the photos will still be yours.

Contact Us

If your wedding date is fixed and you’re thinking about veneers, you can book in for a planning consultation at our JVC branch.

Name: Magnum Dental Clinic – JVC

Address: Arcadia Tower, Shop 2, Beside CART Supermarket, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phone: +971 50 719 3374