Dental Veneers
Veneers are thin, custom-made shells crafted of tooth-colored
materials designed to cover the front side of teeth. They're
made by a dental technician, usually in a dental lab, working
from a model provided by your dentist.They can be made from
Porcelain or Composite resin.
Veneers
can be used for cosmetic reasons in treating discoloured,
malshaped teeth or closing gaps in front teeth.
You should know that this is usually an irreversible process,
because it's necessary to remove a small amount of enamel
from your teeth to accommodate the shell.
Your dentist may recommend that you avoid some foods and
beverages that may stain or discolor your veneers such as
coffee, tea or red wine. Sometimes a veneer might chip or
fracture. But for many people the results are more than worth
it.
Dental
Porcelain Veneers
Dental veneers are custom-designed shells
of tooth-like ceramic material that, when applied over the
surface of a tooth, can cover worn tooth enamel, uneven tooth
alignment or spacing and chips or cracks. Dental veneers fall
into the category of cosmetic dentistry because they create
a bright, white smile with beautifully aligned, shapely teeth.
Even better, the translucent ceramic quality of today's veneers
provides a more natural look than what’s been available
in the past.
Regardless of what causes unattractive teeth, dental veneers
may solve most or even all of your cosmetic dental issues,
including:
Enhance the shape and shade of your teeth with custom-fitted
veneers.
Worn enamel: Over time, the thin, hard white
substance covering your teeth (enamel) may become worn, dulled,
and discolored. Such wear and discoloration may be natural
or the result of a genetic predisposition; however, it is
often a result of your habits (soft drink, tea, or coffee
consumption, smoking, medication use, etc.).
Wear and tear: Teeth naturally wear down
as people age. Aged teeth are more likely to have chips, cracks
or a generally uneven appearance.
Genetics: Certain people may be born with abnormal spacing
between the teeth that grows wider as they age.
Uneven teeth: Uneven teeth can result from
tooth grinding or general wear and tear.
Porcelain Veneers
and Composite Resin Veneers
The two most common materials used in the manufacture of
dental veneers are porcelain and composite resin. Both porcelain
veneers and composite veneers can be fabricated by a dental
technician in a dental laboratory; composite veneers can also
be directly fabricated inside your mouth at the dental office.
Dental veneers that are indirectly fabricated – fabricated
in a dental laboratory – are bonded to the teeth with
various types of resin cement. Of the two options, porcelain
veneers are longer lasting and more expensive.
When are Veneers
Appropriate?
Bonding often serves as an inexpensive and effective restoration
for small chips and cracks in the teeth. Such minor problems
may be functionally and cosmetically repaired with a composite
"white filling." A composite resin material is bonded
to the tooth in order to fill in the chip or crack and better
protect the surrounding tooth structure. But for more severe
cases of dullness, wear, discoloration, mild chipping, cracking,
spacing, or uneven teeth, dental veneers may be recommended
as a more appropriate solution.
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