What are Veneers?

Veneers are a thin layer of porcelain that is bonded to the surface of the tooth to improve its aesthetics or to protect a damaged tooth. Veneers require minimal and in some cases no removal of the tooth structure.

Veneers or porcelain laminates are like acrylic or gel fingernails and can be used to close spaces, mask stain & discolouring, cover chipping, correct misshapen or crooked teeth.

What treatments or problems are Veneers used for?

There are a wide variety of reasons why patients opt for treatment with dental veneers:

Stained teeth – badly stained teeth that cannot be improved by teeth whitening or prophyflex treatments can be greatly improved by dental veneers, which function to cover any existing stains on your teeth.

Damaged teeth – teeth that have become badly worn through excessive grinding or by carbonated drinks, as well as those that have been chipped or broken, can benefit from veneers. A small chip on a tooth can quickly be repaired with composite bonding, also known as “composite veneers”.

A single damaged tooth can easily be repaired with a porcelain veneer that has the same characteristics and colour as your natural teeth.

Gaps – spaces or gaps (diastemas) between your teeth can easily be closed using dental veneers, giving you a more uniform-looking smile.

Crooked teeth – Veneers are not the ideal treatment for crooked teeth, and from the point of view of preserving your natural teeth structure, orthodontics would probably be a better solution. However, such treatments can take up to a year or longer.

For teeth that are not severely crooked, veneers placed over their front surface will give a straight and perfectly aligned-looking smile. For this type of treatment, many people refer to veneers as “Instant Orthodontics”, as you get a similar end result in a fraction of the time.