Veneers

A veneer is a thin laminate of tooth-coloured material - usually made of porcelain - that is bonded onto your own tooth to improve its appearance. Often more than one tooth is veneered. Veneers allow your dentist to correct colour imperfections and positional irregularities. Most of the makeover shows you see on television use veneers to achieve the quick and dramatic improvements in appearance.

The procedure for veneer preparation is relatively straightforward. At the first visit it is usually necessary to remove a small amount of your natural tooth from the front and tip. This is to create space for the veneer and, possibly, to alter the tooth shape. An impression is taken of the altered tooth and your dentist may make a temporary veneer. The impression is sent away to a dental lab where the veneer is made. Your dentist will provide information to the lab as to the colour of the veneer, or the lab might arrange for you to have the shade taken there. At the second visit, the veneer will be bonded on, using strong dental cement. Although the veneer is relatively thin, it gets its strength by being bonded to the tooth underneath.

With modern veneers we are able to produce strong, natural-looking teeth with relatively little tooth preparation.