What are dental veneers?
Veneers are thin shell laminates that cover the front surfaces of teeth to hide dental imperfections. They have the shape and colour to match your existing teeth to a high precision. When they cover your existing teeth, they create the appearance of natural, unblemished teeth. In addtion to concealing any cracks, stains, gaps or chips, they also have the shape to make your teeth look very well aligned. As a result, they will give you a beautiful smile line.
While the health and function of your teeth are important, few people would argue with the desirability of getting them to look beautiful. After all, who doesn’t want their teeth to look bright, straight and proportionate? Dental veneers offer one of the most visibly transformative means of achieving beautifully shaped teeth. Modern dental ceramic materials produce an uncannily real when applied to your teeth.
What are the advantages of Veneers?
They may be made from eitehr porcelain or composite resin material. Porcelain (ceramics) is the preferred choice for most dentists. The reason for this is due to the extremely lifelike and stable appearance porcelain material can acheive. Porcelain has an excellent ability to mimic the translucent quality of natural tooth enamel. They are also known to be more robust and durable compared to composite resin veneers. In terms of treatment procedure, porcelain veneers require minimal tooth preparation, as such they present 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?
In most cses it is necessary to remove a thin layer of tooth tissue to ensure that the final veneers do not make your teeth look too bulbous. However, the thin layer of tooth tissue that is removed is usually not thicker than 1 millimetre. That is to say, roughly the thickness of contact lenses. It is important to note that this step does not compromise the structure and health of your teeth. There is no higher or lower incidence of tooth decay with veneers, as long as they receive proper after care.
Because of the need for tooth tissue removal, the process is not reversible.
In certain circumstances a no- tooth preparation may be possible. It is important to remember that veneers cover a tooth in a way that is they do not fall off. As such, 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 usually can either be repair or replace them. Also, over time, the living tooth and gum tissue around the veneers will undergo changes that may require alterations to your veneers.
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