What are veneers?

Veneers are a great way to dramatically enhance   and improve your smile.

They are among the latest developments in cosmetic dentistry.  Stained teeth, chipped teeth, crooked teeth and ‘gappy’ teeth can benefit from veneers. There are two types of veneers that we tend to do at our practice– resin veneers and porcelain veneers.

Resin veneers are made of synthetic tooth coloured resin that adhere to the surface of your teeth.  When a dentist prepares the tooth for the process, not a lot of tooth is removed or reshaped making resin veneers a very conservative approach.  Resin veneers are best used to repair chipped teeth, close small gaps between teeth, alter the shape of teeth and cover discolouration or stains in teeth.

Treatment is completed in one visit as the resin veneers are created chair side and bonded directly to your teeth. Resin veneers are easy to fix, repolish and replace if they happen to break, chip or discolour.

Porcelain veneers are very natural looking, durable thin (usually about 0.5mm thick) pieces of porcelain, which are bonded to the front surface of the teeth. Veneers can be used to improve the appearance of teeth by changing the shape of the teeth, changing the colour of the teeth, masking stains, replacing small fractured pieces of teeth, closing gaps and straightening overlapping or crowded teeth.

To construct porcelain veneers, we reshape a small amount (0.5-1.0mm) from the front surface of the teeth that are being treated. We then take an impression of your teeth to be sent to a dental technician at a laboratory who makes the veneers in the porcelain.  Temporary tooth like coverings are fitted to your teeth for you to get used to the shape, colour, size and positioning, while your porcelain veneers are being made. This is also so that no cosmetic inconvenience is incurred between appointments. At the next appointment (usually one to two weeks later), we carefully clean the repaired surfaces of the teeth and bond the porcelain veneers in place.

Porcelain veneers are very strong and last for many years providing you take good care of them.

Veneers require the same care as your natural teeth. Porcelain and resin aren’t affected by decay, however your underlying tooth still is. It is important to continue visiting the dentist regularly for hygiene and exam appointments to maintain and ensure longevity of your investment.

Until next time..... Dr L