What are Dental Veneers?
Dental veneers are thin layers of ceramic or composite that are placed on the front part of the teeth in order to correct defects in the size, shape or colour of the teeth or deformed or eroded enamel. Dental veneers are made from either ceramic or composite, depending on the characteristics of each case.
Porcelain veneers
Porcelain has the ideal characteristics as a restorative material for more complex aesthetic cases. The different shades of porcelain are mixed manually, with artistic skill, by the laboratory technician until they achieve a similar appearance, texture and translucency to the natural tooth. Dental porcelain is a highly polished material that is resistant to external staining and so the colour of the new smile will last over time.
Composite, or resin, veneers
An excellent alternative to porcelain veneers are composite, or composite resin, veneers. This type of veneer is manually constructed by the odontologist by applying layers of resin to the natural tooth until the desired shape and colour is obtained. Although their level of stability is not as high as that of porcelain veneers, the specialist can reapply the thin layers of resin as many times as necessary to recover the initial shape of the tooth.
For all types of veneers, care of this kind of restorative work is the same as that for natural teeth. The patient must maintain adequate standards of oral hygiene in order to keep them healthy. Odontologists recommend brushing three times a day after meals, and using dental floss or interdental brushes to ensure all tooth surfaces are adequately cleaned.