Porcelain Veneers

If your front teeth are stained, chipped, or malaligned then veneers can restore your teeth to a perfect appearance with minimum tooth adjustment. A veneer is a porcelain facing on the front of your teeth, usually your top teeth. Think of a veneer being just like a false finger nail.

Veneers are typically made from porcelain and are used mainly for aesthetic reasons.

Veneers make teeth look natural and healthy, and because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond (rather like super-glue) very little preparation of the tooth is needed.

Porcelain veneers can improve the colour, shape and position of teeth.

A precise shade of porcelain can be chosen to give the right colour to improve a single discoloured or stained tooth or to lighten front teeth generally.

Veneers can also be used to close small gaps, when orthodontics (braces) are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.

To fit a veneer, the tooth will need a very small amount of enamel removed from its surface. This is usually completely pain free. A mould (impression) will be made of the tooth and the dentist will also record the colour that the new veneer will need to be in order to match the neighbouring teeth. This information will be sent to a dental laboratory who will make the veneer.

Until the veneer has been made the tooth may be more sensitive to hot and cold. A temporary veneer is not usually necessary.

At a later appointment the veneer will be bonded to the teeth.