If your front teeth are stained, chipped, or misaligned, veneers will give you a good, life-like appearance with minimum tooth adjustment.
A veneer is a porcelain facing on the front of your teeth (usually your top teeth).
Porcelain veneers can improve the colour, shape and position of teeth. A precise shade of porcelain will be chosen to give the right colour to improve a single discoloured or stained tooth or to lighten front teeth (usually the upper ones) generally.
Veneers are made out of porcelain and are used mainly for aesthetic reasons. Veneers make teeth look natural and healthy, and because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond (rather like super-glue) very little preparation of the tooth is needed.
Veneers can also be used to close small gaps when orthodontics (braces) are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.
Porcelain veneers are constructed in a dental laboratory. A small amount of tooth is shaved off before fitting to ensure they are not bulky and look as natural as possible. A wax mock-up is made in the lab to allow you to see what the finished product will look like before going ahead with the treatment.
Composite veneers (build-ups) are made directly in the surgery. They are made without having to administer a local anaesthetic or removing any of your tooth tissue. Composite veneers are a pain-free, conservative way of aligning and reshaping your teeth for a great smile, with none of your natural tooth being lost.
