Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are thin, tooth-coloured covers that attach to the front surface of your teeth. Veneers are custom made for your teeth according to their shape, size, colour and alignment. They are usually placed on the front teeth for aesthetic correction of discolourations, gaps, crookedness or chipped corners of your front teeth. Veneers can be made of either porcelain or composite materials.

Porcelain veneers are longer lasting and stain-resistant when compared to composite veneers, but may be costlier. Porcelain veneers, if well taken care of, can last well up to 20 years hence are an excellent investment if you want to achieve your dream smile.

Special dental veneers that do not require any tooth material to be trimmed down are also available. They are called as Lumineers or “no-prep veneers”

Dental veneers are fixed to the front (visible) surfaces of your teeth and help in aesthetic correction of problems like gaps, discolourations, or shape modifications of the front teeth. They can be matched exactly to your natural tooth colour, shape, size or alignment and give the most natural-looking results of all dental restorations.

It depends on the type of dental veneers you get. Porcelain veneers usually last for 15-20 years, if taken good care of, whereas composite ones last for around 6-8 years. Veneers are fragile, so you need to make sure that you don’t bite accidentally on hard objects or hard foods with veneers (pens, ice cubes, etc) Do not use your front teeth for tearing packaging or plastic wrapping. And never, ever play sports without wearing a mouthguard.

Yes, veneers can be used to close gaps in the front teeth. They are a great option for closing tooth gaps quickly and without much equipment.

Your teeth need to be carefully evaluated before you can be cleared for dental veneers. Candidates for dental veneers need to have sufficiently healthy teeth without any gum disease or decay, and sufficient amounts of enamel present (the outermost layer of your teeth). People with teeth clenching or teeth grinding habits (bruxism) are not advised to get veneers.

Also, keep in mind that dental veneers can only correct slight problems in the alignment of your front teeth. If your teeth are severely misaligned, you may have to undergo an orthodontic treatment first.

A good thing is that we can match dental veneers to natural teeth in terms of their shape, size, length or colour. So it’s not necessary for you to get veneers on all your teeth. You can get veneers on two, four, six or eight teeth – whatever you wish. However, your dentist may recommend getting veneers for the entire front row of 4 or 8 teeth. It’s best to get a consultation first.

Dental bonding or composite bonding utilizes a tooth-coloured material called composite that can be matched to the natural tooth shade. The procedure involves manipulating and building up the composite material to form the required tooth contours. After which, the material is set in place and hardened using UV light. Veneers on the other hand are thin layers of either composite or porcelain material that is attached to the front of your teeth using a special adhesive. Both treatment procedures come under cosmetic dentistry and have their own pros and cons. For front tooth defects, veneers are a better option if you have the means to pay for it.

Unfortunately, dental veneers may not be covered under insurance schemes since they are a cosmetic procedure. However, many insurance providers do provide comprehensive dental packages which may include veneers. So make sure to check up with your insurance provider first before going in and deciding on the treatment.