Dental Veneers

Porcelain dental veneers are extremely thin pieces of ceramic material that are permanently attached to the front of a patient's teeth. Veneers are most often applied to the front teeth in order to correct those that are discolored, misshapen, or damaged. In many cases, dental veneers are applied instead of more costly and invasive crowns, which tend to be more effective when used for molars and cuspids. The application of porcelain veneers usually requires two 1 1/2 hour appointments over a period of two or more weeks, plus a consultation. While the following information represents a general overview of the procedure, any decision to get dental veneers should be discussed with a dental professional as individual cases vary.

Who gets Veneers?

Veneers are a permanent process, and should therefore only be considered by individuals that have all of their permanent teeth. Dental veneers are used to correct many extreme tooth discolorations, deformations, and injuries in order to give the patient a more pleasing smile. Common patients include those whose teeth have been discolored by medications and substances such as tetracycline, coffee, tea, and cigarettes. Veneers can also be used to close gaps between teeth, repair chipped teeth, or simply realign teeth that are disproportionate to the rest of the mouth.

How it is done

The process of bonding porcelain dental veneers to a tooth involves two steps. During the first appointment, the dentist will remove 0.5 to 1 mm of enamel from the front of the tooth to accommodate the veneers. At this time, the patient and dentist should discuss openly what shaping and color changes should be included in the final veneers. The dentist will then take a mold of the teeth, which will be used to create the actual porcelain pieces. This process can take up to two weeks, so temporary veneers are often applied until the permanent pieces are ready.

The second appointment, scheduled once the permanent veneers have been created, is the point at which they are permanently bonded to the teeth. The teeth are chemically cleaned in order to achieve a long-lasting bond, and any last minute color changes to the cement and porcelain pieces are finalized. Finally, dental cement is applied, permanently bonding the dental veneers to the teeth.