Where an orthodontic treatment may not be suitable, patients may benefit from the fitting of veneers (also known as porcelain veneers). Mimicking the size, shape and colour of your teeth, veneers create a very natural look. Whether your teeth won’t stay white or are crooked and/or chipped, you might be interested in finding out more about veneers.

What Are Veneers?

Dental veneers are custom-made thin shells of tooth-coloured materials. They’re designed to cover the front surface of your teeth, to improve appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of your teeth, changing their colour, shape and size.

What Are The Benefits of Veneers?

Most importantly for Etwall Dental Practice patients, veneers offer an extremely natural finish. A common cosmetic dentistry treatment, the colour of the porcelain veneer can be selected to match your existing teeth or to make them appear whiter. A porcelain finish will also mimic the light-reflecting qualities of natural teeth, helping you achieve a brighter, natural-looking smile.

In terms of longevity, porcelain veneers are also more stain resistant and durable than composite bonding. If looked after properly, they can last a number of years.

Where some may be nervous about receiving dental treatments, veneers provide a more gentle approach to altering a tooth’s shape or colour, compared to crowns. This is due to the fact that only a small amount of enamel has to be removed to fit the veneer. Despite this, veneers still offer similar strength and natural looking results.

How Are Veneers Fitted?

The initial step toward fitting veneers is to have a consultation with one of the experts at Etwall Dental Practice. They’ll talk you through the treatment process and help decide if veneers are right for you.

Once a decision has been made, your tooth can be prepared to hold the veneer. This involves removing the thin layer of enamel so that the veneer can be attached to your tooth. Fortunately, this procedure causes very minimal pain but you may be given a local anaesthetic as a precaution.

Following this, our dentists will take an impression of your mouth so that a bespoke veneer can be built to fit perfectly. A temporary veneer may be placed over your tooth while this is being prepared.

The veneer will then be adjusted as is necessary, before being attached to your tooth.

Dental care for your veneers is absolutely crucial, if you want them to last a number of years. Whilst they can be replaced if damaged, you should care for your veneers the same way you would your natural teeth.

What Are The Alternatives To Veneers?

Although sought after, veneers may not be the most appropriate treatment for some patients. When such an instance occurs, the following treatments are available at Etwall Dental Practice:

• Composite bonding – A composite resin is attached to the tooth to restore its natural shape and colour.
• Crowns – a crown is a tooth-shaped cap that’s placed over the entire visible portion of your tooth and is virtually indistinguishable.
• Orthodontics – Traditional or removable braces can be used to straighten misaligned teeth and close gaps. Treatments such as Invisalign are now close to invisible, so offer a discreet alternative.

Your oral health and dental care is at the forefront of all we do. If you feel as though you may require veneers, please get in touch with us via phone on 01283 733391 or fill out our contact form and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

For any non-emergency treatments, please see a full list of Treatments.