Dental Veneers are very thin porcelain outfits designed to adhere to the surfaces of teeth for improved good looks. These thin shells are bonded onto your teeth to make your teeth look in your desired shape size and colour.

Dental Veneers are ordered to made from a choice of materials including porcelain, resin and resin composite materials. But most popular choice is porcelain veneers because it can match the natural colour of your teeth.

Dental veneers can fix many dental problems including, discoloured teeth, teeth which are worn down with age, large fillings, root canal treatments, chipped or broken teeth, misaligned or uneven teeth and teeth that are not spaced out evenly. 

Aged or worn-down teeth

With age teeth can get worn out and either get stained or thinner and chipped. In such a case, the Porcelain dental veneers can make your teeth younger looking and beautiful. 

Discoloured teeth

The teeth can become yellow or brown because of many reasons, one of which is the lifestyle choice. Smoking is known to stain the teeth and it gives yellow or brown tinge to your teeth. Foods that are known to stain your teeth include red wine, excessive intake of coffee and tea and coloured candies and chocolates. When you have stained teeth, the dental veneers can hide these stains effectively and can give you a better smile. 

Decayed and restored teeth

When you have decay in your teeth, the dentist will have to clean and treat the decay. After treatment, the tooth will have to look better because, sometimes, teeth get chipped if they become very thin after treatment. In some cases, teeth undergo trauma because of sports or other accidents. Here, the dental veneers can be used to give the tooth proper shape and size. 

Crooked and misaligned teeth

When the spaces between teeth are not even, the teeth grow crooked and give an improper bite. Dental veneers can correct this condition with ease. Teeth can be straightened and given proper size and shape to give you a better smile. Dental veneers are also used in conditions where teeth are shorter and may not give perfect smile. Dental veneers and lengthen the teeth and give a better smile.

Procedure to install dental veneers

Normally, the installation of dental veneers requires a few sittings with the dentist. Minimum 3 visits to the dentist are essential to discuss, take measurements and bond the veneers.

The option of dental veneers is discussed with your dentist, when you present your dental issue to him. He will ask you about your wish, and what result you want for yourself. He will consider the options and give you a rough plan. If there are any limitations to what you want to achieve with dental veneers will also be put forth. Mutually, you will decide on a plan and work out details of expenses and insurance if any. Then in the next visit the dentist will take x-rays and images of your teeth to gauge the feasibility of reshaping your teeth.

In the next visit the dentist files the enamel off of your tooth or teeth if there are more than one, and prepare the tooth to receive the veneer. The scraping of enamel may bring on some discomfort, and you can choose to get an injection to numb the area.

After the preparation of your teeth, the dentist will send the images to the lab for making the veneers accordingly. It may take a few weeks to get the custom-made veneers in your dentist’s office. Meanwhile the dentist will apply temporary veneers on your teeth. Once the veneers come to the office, in the next sitting, your dentist will bond the veneers onto your teeth with a special bonding material. He will see the fit and trim the veneer or the tooth accordingly and once perfectly fit, he will bond it permanently.

The colour of the veneer can be adjusted with the colour of the bonding cement to match the other teeth. Before putting the veneer finally, your dentist will have cleaned and etched your tooth sufficiently to receive the bonding material properly. After positioning the veneer correctly, the laser will be used to bond the veneer to the tooth. The light beam activates the chemicals in the cement to harden it quickly and then, the dentist will remove excess cement if any. The follow up visits are important to check the gums and veneers for any further developments.

When you consider the option of porcelain dental veneers, you must keep in mind that:

• The procedure is final and permanent. Once it is done, it cannot be undone.
• Porcelain veneers are more expensive than other resin bonding.
• When veneers chip or crack, they cannot be repaired.
• You may find increased sensitivity to your tooth because enamel has been removed.
• The colour of the veneer is final. It cannot be changed. If you want to go for teeth whitening, then you should do it before going for veneers.
• Very rarely, veneers can and may fall off, with pressure on the teeth, like chewing on hard objects.
• Even with veneers on, your teeth can decay and need to be treated like normal teeth.

Are you a good candidate for porcelain dental veneers?

Gum disease: If you have gum disease then dental veneers is not suitable for you. You need to be orally healthy to be able to get veneers because if your gums are not healthy it will not support the teeth and once you have gone through the expenses of getting veneers, it will go wasted as, even with veneers on, you will have go for the treatment for gum disease and if required, you have to get crowns for decayed and restored teeth. It is always sensible to get the required treatment for gum disease and tooth decay before opting for veneers.

Bruxism: People with bruxism cannot opt for dental veneers because clenching and grinding teeth damages veneers, causing them to fall off.