What are Dental Veneers?

A dental veneer is a thin layer of synthetic material (porcelain or composite) that is placed over the tooth’s surface to improve the tooth’s attractiveness in terms of alignment, color or shape. A substantial aesthetic effect can be obtained with a veneer and minimal tooth preparation is required.

Veneers are often called “Instant Orthodontics” because in just two to three visits you can completely change the look of your smile and have perfectly shaped, even white teeth.

Porcelain veneers can whiten permanently stained teeth. Porcelain veneers, also referred to as dental veneers, can be used to repair front and back teeth that have permanent stains and that won’t respond to whitening. They may also be used to correct small gaps or to fix poorly shaped or crooked teeth. They may also be recommended to cover teeth that are chipped, worn or eroded.

Applying Veneers

Veneers are applied to the teeth in 2 visits to the dentist:

Visit # 1 Veneer Preparation: The teeth are prepared by removing 0.3 to 0.5 mm of enamel (the thickness of a fingernail) to allow room for the veneer layer. An impression of the teeth is taken and sent to the specialized dental laboratory that will create the veneers.

Visit #2 Veneer Bonding: Bonding involves all the steps that permanently attach the veneer to the tooth. After a cleaning of the tooth, the veneer is bonded to the teeth with a special dental cement. This cement is then hardened with a blue curing light.

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