What are Veneers?

What are Veneers?

George Clooney: Veneers lengthened and lightened his smile for a more youthful appearance.

What are veneers, you ask? Veneers are Hollywood’s best kept secret! Just take a look at some before and after photos of some of Hollywood’s best smiles and you will see some veneers, for sure!

Veneers are similar to "false finger nails" for teeth.  They are a thin restorative material placed over the outside tooth surface to either protect the tooth or to improve the tooth’s appearance. The material used , usually, is a ceramic of one type of another.  The best material today is a Lithium Disilicate type that is ultra strong even when only .5 mm in thickness.  Sometimes a composite resin (bonding) material (the stuff we do tooth colored fillings with) may be used.

Demi Moore: Veneers Straitened, lengthened, and brightened her smile

Porcelain (Ceramic) Veneers differ from Crowns in that they only cover one surface of the tooth (the side you see when you smile), instead of wrapping all the way around the tooth like a crown.  Thus, a big advantage of veneers is that very little natural tooth structure must be removed to place a veneer.  Certain cases can be treated with virtually NO tooth preparation whatsoever.  Lumineers is the older version (20 year old technology) of the "prep-less" veneers -- today our materials are even stronger and more natural looking!

Veneers can be used to restore a single tooth that has been broken or discolored, or to make over an entire smile.  They can close spaces between teeth, lengthen teeth and provide uniform shape and symmetry.  Veneers can be like "instant orthodontics" and the best part is that they fix anything else that might be bothering you about your smile.

Porcelain Veneer

Picking a cosmetic dentist can be a little tricky.  Make sure to ask to see many before and after photos of actual cases that they have performed.  Also, some dental offices, like mine, have software that will allow you to see a “Digital Imaged” case (before and after pictures) so that you are better able to visualize your would-be new smile.  This is a huge advantage as you can play with the shape, length and color of your teeth to see how it will look on you! This will allow you to customize your smile, for your features, unique to you!  

 

Some dental offices will request you do a “wax up,” or a model of your teeth to see the end result.  Also, beware of the ceramic material chosen as some offices and labs are usuing materials that are "old school" and they might appear more opaque (fake) upon final cementation.  This subtle difference in the cermics can make a huge difference in the appearance of the veneer. 

I know that fees (price) are on your mind.  For the best type of Ceramic Veneers you can expect to spend over a $1,000 a tooth.  So, for some the alternative types of Veneers (bonding) makes the most sense.  Surprisingly, even some dental insurances companies will cover a portion of the costs.

The smile improvement resulting from Veneers (and associated benefits of improved self confidence, etc), however, many times is a life changing event (so "worth" is difficult to assess in those cases).  See my previous blog "True Value of a Smile" (click here). Veneers are also considered "permanent" and are expected to last many, many years.  In short, veneers have been, and remain, a stellar means of smile improvement.  Might you consider the possibilities?