Dental veneers must have saved many from embarrassing moments. Dental veneers are wafer-thin, custom-made shells that very well cover up tooth-stains and tooth-defects like chips, cracks or even worn-out tooth enamel. The shells are cemented to the front of the teeth in order to improve their color, shape, size and/or length. Made from tooth-colored materials like porcelain or composite resin, dental veneers even help close gaps between two teeth. In fact, the dental veneers are a cosmetic dentistry option par excellence that improve your appearance by easily hiding your dental problems.

Apart from being an aesthetic enhancement, dental veneers have also proved to have a restorative benefit they protect the surface of the damaged/discolored tooth and are known to strengthen the teeth to some extent.

Dental Veneer Types

As said, dental veneers make use of two most commonly used materials porcelain and composite resin. The two different types of dental veneers have the individual sets of advantages. The porcelain veneers look very much like natural teeth because they very nearly replicate the natural tooth color. Porcelain veneers resist staining of teeth; moreover, you do not have any gum-problems as there is no question of allergic reactions, etc. with porcelain veneers. On the other hand, composite resin veneers being very thin, call for the removal of relatively less tooth surface.

The Procedure

Dental veneering or the dental veneer procedure calls for 2 to 3 sessions with the dentist spanning over a period of some six weeks no matter whether you are undergoing the veneering process for more than just one tooth.

The first sitting is spent examining your teeth-conditions and planning treatment. To start with, you discuss your expectations from the procedure with the dentist following which the dentist examines your oral condition thoroughly to take care of any existing oral health problems. Thereafter, your dentist will discuss various issues like tooth color (using special shade-chart), veneer setting (using imaging technologies), its limitations, etc.

Once complete diagnosis is over and the proper treatment planned, the dentist will go ahead with preparing the teeth for receiving the veneers. The preparation for the veneering process involves removal of enamel from the tooth surface after anesthetizing the area. (About ½ millimeter of enamel needs to be removed, for this is going to be the approximate thickness of the dental veneers). X-rays and impressions of your teeth (which are to serve as models for preparing the veneers) are usually taken during this sitting and sent to a dental lab. Since, the permanent veneers will not be ready before 1 or 2 weeks, your dentist will place temporary veneers to protect your teeth. All these can be completed in just the first sitting with the dentist.

In the second sitting, the permanent dental veneers will be cemented to your teeth. This, of course, must be preceded by thorough cleaning, polishing and etching of the teeth in order to ensure proper bonding of the veneers with the teeth. After positioning the veneer on the tooth, the dentist will give it a special light treatment, activating the chemicals in the cement to bond well. At this stage, your dentist will ask you to light up the room with a beam.

Other Facts about Dental Veneers

Dental veneers generally last between 5 and 10 years depending upon the oral hygiene practices one follows. Regular brushing and flossing is a must. Moreover, you must also take care to avoid bad habits like clenching and grinding your teeth, chewing pencils or any other hard objects that put pressure on the veneer causing it to chip or break.

Being a less invasive procedure to tooth crowning, dental veneers are a better option to dental crowns for not so severe tooth-problems like discolored or slightly misshaped teeth. They score over other teeth whitening procedures because dental veneers are a long-term solution. But then, being just a frontal-cover (rather layer), you cannot expect dental veneers to protect your teeth against tooth-decay or other periodontal diseases. Moreover, because dental veneers necessitate removal of enamel, the procedure makes teeth sensitive to hot and cold.

Hence, it can be said that dental veneers can give back your magnetic smile and personality but it cannot always give you back your hearty, contented laugh, you will miss your hot cup of coffee, carrots and may be many, many other things. And remember, dental veneering process is going to prove a slightly pricey affair, which is not generally covered by insurance!