Types of Dental veneers; What are they and Why are they Used

Dental veneers are a versatile cosmetic dentistry treatment that can improve the appearance of your smile. It is a wafer-thin composite or ceramic sheath made from tooth-colored materials attached to the front surface of the teeth to hide cracks, chips, gaps, worn teeth, discoloration, mild tooth misalignment, and many other problems of the teeth. Some of the applications in dentistry are:

• Restoring Fractured Teeth – veneers are used to restore the shape of chipped, fractured, or broken teeth.

• Hiding Permanent Teeth Stains – these are excellent options to hide teeth stains that cannot be removed even with professional teeth whitening procedures.

• Closing Excessive Teeth Gaps – these can also be used to hide the gaps on the front teeth.

• Smile Makeover – if you are not happy with your smile, then you can get them to get the smile of your liking.

What are Different Types of Dental veneers?

Dental veneers are a type of cosmetic dentistry treatments that can drastically improve the look of your smile. These are wafer-thin films that stick directly to the front part of the tooth to improve its appearance. Veneers are great for patients whose teeth are cracked, chipped, discolored, worn down, etc that is why the cost of veneers justifies the treatment.

There are various Veneer types.

Traditional Veneers

Traditional dental veneers are created in a laboratory off-site after your dentist has taken impressions of your teeth. At the lab, ceramicists will create veneers according to the impressions, specifications, and instructions provided by your dentist to make it look as close to your natural teeth as possible. Traditional veneers are constructed from various materials.

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• Pressed Ceramic – Pressed ceramic veneers have a thicker material which makes it more durable compared to other types of veneers. However, because of its thickness, it requires more alteration particularly in the structure of the tooth.

• Stacked Ceramic – Ceramicists create this type of veneer by layering each porcelain material by hand. They will remove as much material as possible so that it closely resembles the shape, color, and translucency of the patient’s teeth. Stacked ceramics are easier to craft and customize, but not as durable as pressed ceramic.

• Zirconia-Based – Zirconia-based are the strongest type of dental veneers. It is often used to strengthen a structurally weak tooth. These types of veneers are made from the same materials used for creating dental crowns; therefore it is highly resistant to fracture. Zirconia-based veneers are also opaque, making it the best treatment to hide imperfections on the tooth such as cracked, damaged, or severely stained teeth.

• Lithium Disilicate – Lithium disilicate veneers are one of the strongest dental veneers available as computer-aided manufacturing is needed to craft this type of veneer. It is excellent for patients who are prone to grinding their teeth.

Minimal Prep Veneers

Often called no-prep veneers, these types are thinner than traditional veneers therefore it doesn’t need excessive removal of the tooth enamel. This is great for patients who are thinking of getting porcelain veneers but want a more conservative type of treatment.

Because of their thinness, minimal-prep veneers do not offer the same coverage as any other types of veneers.

Same-Day Veneers

Traditional and minimal-prep veneers would need it to be created at a lab off-site and would require two appointments. Same-day veneers will have the veneers designed and manufactured on your appointment and leave with one right away – no need for a second appointment.

• Composite Veneers – Composite resin is used to place tooth-colored fillings once the cavities have been treated. The composite veneers are a great option to fix oral health issues like discoloration, chips, or cracks. Although it does not look as lifelike as the porcelain veneers and they are prone to staining over time, these are cheap and effective solutions to fix damaged teeth immediately.
• CEREC Veneers – Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) is a Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing unit that dentists use for same-day restorations. CEREC is equipped with a milling software in which it can convert the scans of the patient’s teeth into porcelain veneers. These veneers are made to be as durable as traditional porcelain veneers but it can save you a lot of time and money on laboratory services.