PORCELAIN VENEERS

The Art and Science of Porcelain Veneers

Placing porcelain veneers is an art and a particularly demanding art – a dentist must be an artist to do them well. Very few dentists have that combination of technique and artistic passion to create the perfect smile. Porcelain veneers are recommended for patients who want to close a diastema (wide gap between teeth) without using metal braces and for those who want a smile make over.

Porcelain veneers are thin wafers of porcelain, about half a millimetre thick (the thickness of a fingernail) that are bonded onto the front of teeth to create a smile makeover. They are permanent, custom-shaped and require the removal of roughly 0.5 mm of the original tooth to allow space for the new veneer. Porcelain mimics tooth structure better than any other restorative material. It is harder than enamel, so it resists wear, can last for many years and resists stains more effectively than tooth enamel.

The veneers are custom made by our dental lab to match your needs before being permanently fused to the tooth enamel. And unless the surface is damaged they very rarely discolour. Our very skilled dentists can manipulate the colour and translucency to re-create the look of any tooth. Done well, they create a beautiful result.

A full smile makeover can make a significant contribution to self-confidence – for both men and women.

How long do they last?

With the advances in bonding materials, or dental cement, porcelain veneers are known to last anywhere from 10 to 30 years. Digital technology, including 3D scanning and CAD/CAM (computer aided drawing systems) allow a veneer to be crafted to fit the underlying tooth perfectly.

Maintaining your Veneers

Like your natural teeth, veneers need to be looked after and treated with care. Like real teeth, they are not immune to strong impacts such as sporting accidents which could normally damage your teeth, but thankfully a veneer can usually be quickly replaced. The key to maintaining a smile is to follow the hygiene instructions provided by your dentist, including brushing, flossing and regular check-ups.

Benefits of porcelain veneers include:

  • Improve the appearance of your smile
  • Whiten discoloured and stained teeth
  • Cover cracks, chips and serrations
  • Close gaps in the teeth
  • Restore the shape of crooked teeth

 

         

                  Before photo                                               After photo                                       After photo

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               Before photo                                       Crown preperation

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                After photo                                          After photo