TOOTH VENEERS • PORCELAIN VENEERS • COMPOSITE VENEERS |
When should you consider getting a tooth veneer? One example are teeth that do not respond to the more conventional tooth whitening systems, perhaps like bleaching. Examples of discolored teeth are those that have been injured and now harbour a dead nerve or have been affected from excessive antibiotic treatments. Veneers are considerably more durable and stain-resistant than bonding.
You also want to consider getting a veneer when teeth need a significant change in shape or in contour. Veneers build up small or misshapen teeth for a more natural appearance and spaces between teeth can either be eliminated by making the teeth a bit wider, or longer if teeth are too short. |
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Tooth veneers are actually thin slices of porcelain, almost the size of your fingernail. They are "bonded" onto the tooth and blended into the remaining tooth structure becoming unnoticeable.
Once in place, it's just like your natural tooth.
You can use veneers if you wish to alter the shape and color of a single tooth or, all your teeth.
Tooth veneers are also used to correct teeth that have worn down from grinding or clenching.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMPOSITE AND PORCELAIN VENEERS
If you're choosing to get a composite veneer you'll appreciate the treatment time. These veneerscan be set in one appointment.
Porcelain veneers require a treatment time to be longer.
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Your first appointment, requires you to have an impression made of your teeth. This impression is sent out to specialists who make the porcelain and set the tooth color based on a color chart. This is to make sure that the porcelain veneer will match your teeth exactly.
The dental veneers are then cemented. It is important to realize that once this is done, color alteration is not possible.
Porcelain veneers are much stronger than a composite veneer, so the chance of it fracturing is far less than with composite veneers. The downside of this is that if a fracture does happen, repairs are more difficult. This may sometimes result in having to remake the veneer depending on the size of the fracture.
Another disadvantage of composite veneers is that their color is not quite as stable as porcelain veneers. That means that over time the composite veneers may get slightly darker or turn yellowish.
Generally however, porcelain veneers which are fabricated outside the mouth, allow better control of the color and shape resulting in a more accurate result. |
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