Dental Information » Veneers
Veneers
A veneer is a thin layer of restorative material placed over a tooth, either to improve the appearance of worn, discolored or misaligned teeth, cover cracks or chips, or to protect a damaged tooth surface, giving a patient a new, long-lasting, bright and straight smile.
An advantage of using veneers is that the teeth can change in appearance with minimal drilling. Many veneer procedures can be done with the use of little or no local anesthetic.
Veneers are chosen for many different purposes. For cosmetic purposes they can be used to resurface teeth in order to make them appear straighter. This may be a quick way to improve the appearance of teeth without the use of orthodontics. Although, in some cases, the malposition of teeth may be such that veneers alone may not be enough to correct them. Instead, orthodontics would need to be used, or orthodontics combined with veneers. Veneers must also be created such that the patient bites into them with minimal force. Otherwise, they may chip off. Patients whose lower jaw protrudes out farther than their upper jaw (known as a class III bite) may not benefit from veneers because the teeth of the lower jaw may bite into the teeth of the upper jaw such as to dislodge the veneers.
Veneers are an important tool for the cosmetic dentist. A dentist may use one veneer to restore a single tooth that may have been fractured or discolored, or multiple veneers for a whole set of teeth. Many people have small teeth resulting in spaces that may not be easily closed by orthodontics. Some people have worn away the edges of their teeth, while others may have malpositioned teeth that appear crooked. Multiple veneers can close these spaces, lengthen teeth that have been shortened by wear, provide a uniform color, shape, and symmetry, and make the teeth appear straight. If you are considering getting veneers, please contact an experienced dental professional.
Source: Wikipedia