Understanding the Different Types of Dental Veneers

The veneers represent the perfect dental procedure for persons with misaligned or crooked teeth.

The dental veneers are basically extremely thin ceramic shells that are fitted right onto the outer surface of the tooth. The veneers represent the perfect dental procedure for persons with misaligned or crooked teeth.

By positioning nicely these thin porcelain veneers onto the surface of the tooth, the patient will get a bright, straight and white smile just as the celebrities have.

Also the veneers are used in the case the patient has got discolored teeth, teeth with several gaps that look unaesthetic, or damaged/chipped teeth that again do not look nice. Then, many patients with extreme tooth sensitivity opt for such dental veneers because their sensitivity to hot/cold will be considerably reduced.

Cosmetic dentists use today as many as 4 different types of dental veneers:

1. The palatal veneers — made of porcelain, composite materials, but sometimes even made out of gold. These veneers are fitted onto the interior surface of the upper teeth (the palatal area) in order to treat teeth wear. They protect nicely the interior side of the upper teeth of the patient.

2. The composite veneers — these are usually applied over the outer surface of the teeth for cosmetic purposes. These are much cheaper than the porcelain veneers, but they are also much weaker. The patient must chew and bite carefully, because the composite veneers can crack quite easily.

3. The porcelain veneers — these are thin layers of porcelain shells that are fitted onto the surface of the teeth, after the teeth have been polished. Firstly, the dentist will usually apply temporary plastic veneers, and only when these are removed will be the porcelain veneers fitted onto the teeth.

4. The temporary veneers (non-permanent veneers) — can be even applied at home by the patient, because there are several dental kits available with instructions on how to fit them. They are made of composite resin, and they are quite flexible, but they do not represent a good solution for a patient who actually needs permanent veneers.

It is extremely important to keep in mind that in order to apply permanent veneers, the dentist will remove a portion of the natural enamel of the tooth.

This means that you are going to experience tooth sensitivity temporarily, until the permanent veneers are fitted. Also, patients with very poor dental health cannot get such permanent veneers.