Dental Veneers

What are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers (sometimes called porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates) are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front surface of teeth to improve your appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, or length.

Types of Dental Veneers

Dental veneers can be made from porcelain or from resin composite materials. Porcelain veneers resist stains better than resin veneers. They also better mimic the light-reflecting properties of natural teeth. You will need to discuss the best choice of veneer material for you with your dentist.

What Types of Problems Do Dental Veneers Fix?

Veneers are routinely used to fix:

• Teeth that are discolored because of:
  • root canal treatment 
  • stains from tetracycline or other drugs
  • excessive fluoride
  • large resin fillings 
  • other causes
• Teeth
  • are worn down
  • chipped or broken
  • that are misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped (for example, have craters or bulges in them)
  • with gaps between them (to close the space between these teeth)

Dental Veneer Procedure

Getting a dental veneer usually requires three trips to the dentist – one for a consultation and two to make and apply the veneers. One tooth or many teeth can undergo the veneering process at the same time.

Dental Veneer Benefits

Veneers offer these advantages:

• They provide a natural tooth appearance.
• Gums tolerates porcelain well.
• Porcelain veneers are stain resistant.
• A color can be selected to make dark teeth appear whiter.
• They generally don’t require as much shaping as crowns do, yet they are stronger and look better.