Veneers
Porcelain veneers are an effective and non-invasive way to improve the appearance of your smile.
What is a porcelain veneer?
Porcelain veneers are extremely thin shells of tooth-coloured material that are bonded to the front of the teeth. They are used to mask discolourations, brighten teeth, and generally improve your smile.
Applying porcelain veneers requires little or no anesthesia, making it a fast and largely non-invasive way to improve your smile.
Porcelain veneers are a more conservative approach than dental crowns for changing the colour, size, or shape of a tooth. They mask defects such as tetracycline stains, irregularities caused by injury, or discolouration. They're also a great option for repairing chips and cracks.
What happens during the procedure?
During the first appointment, the teeth are lightly buffed to prepare for the added thickness the veneers will introduce. A mould is taken of the teeth, which is sent to the laboratory that will fabricate the veneers. the fabrication process usually takes a week or two.
The second appointment involves bonding the veneer to the teeth. Your dentist will begin by temporarily fitting your veneer on your teeth to evaluate their fit and colour.
Once satisfied that the veneers look just right, the dentist will apply them permanently with a special bonding cement, and the cure and harden them with a special light beam.
Results
It is not uncommon to see slight variations in the colour of porcelain veneers upon close inspection. This is normal even with natural teeth, and hardly noticeable.
You may want to consider a course of bleaching before you have porcelain veneer work done. This is because if the restorative work is matched to the yellow or grey teeth, there is no way to change the colour afterwards.