While the health and function of your teeth are important, few people would downplay the significance of getting them to look beautiful. After all, who doesn’t want their teeth to look bright, straight and proportionate? If there is a dental treatment created with an overriding goal to beautify your teeth, then dental veneers certainly fit the bill. Indeed, the modern iteration of dental veneers offers one of the most visibly transformative means of achieving beautiful teeth. Modern dental ceramic materials produce porcelain veneers that real when applied to your teeth.
What are dental veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells of tooth-coloured laminates that are placed over your front teeth to hide your dental imperfections. They can be shaped and colour-matched to precision so that when placed over your existing teeth, they create the appearance of natural, unblemished teeth. Besides concealing any cracks, stains, gaps or chips, dental veneers can be sculpted to make your teeth look perfectly aligned – giving you a beautiful smile line.
What are the advantages of porcelain veneers?
Dental veneers may be made from porcelain or composite resin material. The porcelain material is the preferred choice of cosmetic dentists for enhancing the aesthetics of a patient’s smile. This is due to the extremely lifelike appearance of the porcelain material to create a very natural look. Porcelain veneers are prized for their ability to mimic the translucent quality of natural tooth enamel. They are also known to be more robust and durable. In terms of the treatment procedure, porcelain veneers require minimal tooth preparation, as such presents a more conservative and minimally invasive approach – an attribute welcomed by both dentists and patients alike.
Do my teeth need to be reshaped and is the process reversible?
We will need to remove a thin layer tooth tissue from your teeth to ensure that the final veneers do not make the teeth too bulbous. However, the ultra-thin layer that needs to be removed is usually no thicker than 1 millimeter, roughly the thickness of contact lenses. It is important to note that this necessary step does not compromise the structure and health of your existing teeth. There is no higher or lower incidence of tooth decay with veneers, as long as they receive proper care.
Because tooth tissue removal is necessary the process is not reversible.
In certain circumstances a no- tooth preparation may be possible to have veneers fitted. However, in even in these cases, the treatment is not reversible as the veneers are permanently bonded to the enamel of the teeth.
How long do veneers last?
The expected lifetime of a porcelain veneer is somewhere between seven and 20 years. Veneers sometimes come off or chip. If this happens, they can be repaired or replaced. Also, over time, the living tooth and gum tissue around the veneers will undergo changes that may require alterations to your veneers.
