Veneers
A veneer is a laminate or a thin layer of porcelain fabricated to cover the front surface of a tooth that aids to mask any imperfections in a tooth like discolouration, fracture or chipped edge.
Dental Veneers are a treatment of choice for teeth to correct discoloration, minor misalignment, chips or crack and to close the space between teeth with gaps in them. The result is beautiful and brighter teeth in just 2-3 appointments. Dental veneers can be made from resin or from composite materials.
There are two types of Veneers:
Direct Composite Veneers
Composite resin veneers are placed on the teeth in just one appointment. The tooth is sliced or shaped in order to receive a veneer, then composite resin material is shaped or manoeuvred and then light cured to enhance the shape and colour of the teeth. All the imperfections are masked behind the layers of composite. A special ultra violet light is used to cure or harden the material and the veneer is smoothed or polished to look like a natural tooth. The result is a smoother, shinier, whiter tooth to enhance the aesthetics as well as function
Indirect or Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are one of the most beautiful restorations available in cosmetic dentistry. They are fabricated by trained technicians in a dental laboratory after an accurate impression of the prepared teeth is taken by the dentist. To apply a veneer, a very small amount of the original tooth enamel must be sacrificed, usually less than a millimeter. This is paramount as it creates room for the porcelain veneer to fit within the mouth and most accurately restore natural tooth function while creating a more cosmetically appealing appearance than the original tooth. The bond between original tooth and porcelain veneer is crucial as it provides a strong bond which is essential for correct veneer fit and function as well as helps to enhance aesthetics. Light-sensitive resin cement is placed between the original tooth and the veneer and then hardened using a special curing light which creates that bond.