Shop-purchased teeth whitening products sometimes have little discernible effect on stained or discoloured teeth. This is occasionally due to the quality of the product that has been chosen as well as the way in which it has been applied at home. In the majority of cases, teeth whitening procedures are best undertaken under the guidance of a dentist or other oral healthcare professional, such as a dental nurse. If you seek professional advice, then veneers may be recommended depending on your teeth and the particular outcome you are seeking. What are veneers and how might they help in modern cosmetic dentistry?

The Aim of Veneers

Veneers are designed to close gaps between teeth, to mask staining that might have occurred and to make improvements to the overall appearance of a smile. A dental veneer is just as you might expect from the name – a thin layer that sits over a tooth. Made from porcelain, they are designed to fit over the outward facing surface of a tooth. You can think of them like false fingernails that sit on top of your natural ones. Although dental veneers are extremely thin, they are dependable and strong once they have been properly bonded to the tooth they are covering.

Why Opt for a Veneer?

Veneers are usually chosen because they will improve the colour, shape and appearance of teeth in a relatively subtle way. This is because a precise shade of porcelain is selected by the dentist to offer you the right colour to match your other teeth. If you have a couple of stained teeth next to white ones, for example, then the chosen veneer will match the shade of those in the vicinity to look natural. Another common reason that a veneer might be chosen is to correct the appearance of a chipped tooth so that it looks fully intact once more. The porcelain will fit over the front of the tooth in question and hide the chipped section from view. Finally, veneers are sometimes chosen to cover over spaces between incisors, especially when braces are not a suitable treatment or not desired.

How Are Veneers Constructed?

In most cases, it takes a couple of visits to a dentist to prepare and fit a veneer. The first session is when an impression to be taken. After that, your veneer will be custom-made by a specialist in a laboratory which will then be fitted at your subsequent visit. Veneers are also made in standard sizes and these can be bonded in place to average teeth with an adhesive at your first visit, so long as your teeth are suitably shaped and aligned.

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