In the past, the only way to correct dental imperfections and get a movie star smile was to cover teeth with crowns. Today, veneers are the “in” thing!

What is a veneer?

A veneer is a layer of material placed over or bound to a tooth to give it a better, more natural appearance and colour. Different materials are used to do so of which porcelain veneers are the most common. A porcelain laminate veneer is a thin layer of dental ceramic material, fixed to the outer surface of a tooth with a special resin adhesive. A small amount of the tooth’s surface (1 mm or less) is usually removed before the veneer is bonded to the tooth. A relatively new process, referred to as the no-drill or prep-less porcelain veneer (lumineers), does away with this practice of tooth shaving. Lumineers are ultra-thin (approximately 0.2 mm) and highly translucent porcelain veneers.

There are many pros to having teeth covered by veneers but there are also a few cons to take into consideration before going for the Holywood look.

Good

    • Veneers improve your smile. They cover and disguise discoloured teeth and can give you a set of pearly whites − just like the movie stars
    • Veneers can be used to repair and cover badly chipped and misshapen teeth
    • Veneers’ effects are both immediate and long-lasting. With today’s improved cements and bonding agents, they typically last 10 to 30 years
    • Veneers can be used to close minor to moderate spaces between teeth
    • Veneers can correct minor bite problems
    • Veneers can be used to build up teeth that have been worn down by grinding habits
    • Veneers are reasonably quick to fix.

Bad

    • Veneers can be quite expensive
    • Veneers are fairly permanent and, if done badly; difficult to repair or reverse
    • Lumineers (prep-less veneers) may be reversible but aren’t appropriate in all situations
    • Veneers may later cause tooth sensitivity because of the removal (shaving down) of part of the tooth’s surface
    • Veneers that have been poorly installed can cause an uneven bite and problems with chewing
    • Veneers, although tough and durable, are made of glass and can shatter if bent. They need to be treated with care, for example by wearing a mouth guard if you grind your teeth at night
    • Veneers can be harmful when applied to “straighten” the normal and healthy teeth of younger people.

Ugly (consequences)

Veneers are not for everyone and should be limited to older individuals with significant aesthetic problems that harm their health and self-confidence. Cosmetic dentists warn that creating the perfect veneer and a realistic-looking smile is a very involved process. Mismatched colours on the top and bottom teeth and cheap veneers that mimic bathroom tiles rather than human teeth, can make you look like a clown.

A reliable dentist will not only take note of the size and structure of your mouth but also your skin tone, the shape of your face, fullness of your lips and size and colour of your natural teeth before applying a veneer. Make sure you choose a reputable cosmetic dentist before “baring” your teeth!

 

Sources

Dental Veneers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.thenorthridgedentist.com/dental-veneers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Porcelain veneers. Retrieved from: http://www.deardoctor.com/porcelain-veneers/#sthash.Iq7ywuAn.dpuf
Veneer (dentistry). Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneer_(dentistry)
Walansky, A. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about veneers. Retrieved from: http://www.thegloss.com/beauty/good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-about-veneers/