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How are Porcelain Veneers used in Dentistry?
Porcelain veneers have been a wonderful addition to our options for conservatively restoring teeth in dentistry, especially in cosmetic/aesthetic dentistry.
Porcelain veneers were originally designed to cover the fronts of front teeth without having to do anything to the natural tooth. This technique was used to improve shapes, but more commonly to improve color. This can work wonderfully for some cases.
In working with porcelain veneers for over 25 years, we’ve learned that in most cases some room must be created by minor preparation of the teeth, so when the veneers are placed, natural contours of beautiful teeth are the result.
Porcelain veneers are used as a conservative approach to:
- Changing the color of teeth
- Making the color consistent in multiple teeth
- Changing the shapes of teeth
- Changing the size of teeth; width, length, or depth
- Closing spaces between teeth
- Restoring worn tooth structure–usually the edges of front teeth
- Improving bite function in the front teeth, providing proper function in back teeth
- Making crowded teeth appear straight, also known as “instant orthodontics”
- Building out a narrowed arch to create a fuller, beautiful, flowing smile
- Improving improper inclinations of teeth
The ideal porcelain veneer creates a tooth that does not look like a dental restoration. It looks like a beautiful natural tooth with depth of color, proper shape and inclination, color zones in the tooth like natural teeth, translucency on the edge and surface texture with surface anatomy to look like a natural tooth.
It should not look like an oversized, refrigerator-white chicklet!
