Dental veneers are thin veneers that increase the volume of teeth to make them look better. They can be made of plastic, composite or porcelain. Depending on the patient’s needs, the dentist will indicate one or the other.
Among the treatments that dentists can perform to increase the aesthetics of the smile and, consequently, the self-esteem of patients, porcelain, composite or prefabricated dental veneers are becoming increasingly important due to their social influence.
In short, dental veneers are shells no thicker than two millimeters, which replace or increase the front volume of a previous tooth.
Types of dental veneers and the differences between them
The main difference between veneers is that they can be made of plastic material, composite, or they can be made of porcelain. Porcelain veneers include preformed veneers and those made in the laboratory on the patient’s model, which are cemented with plastic adhesive products. Another substantial difference lies in the wear and fracture (composite can be repaired) and in the transmission of color and naturalness (porcelain is better).
For which patients are dental veneers indicated and why?
Veneers are not indicated for all esthetic cases. Not for cases where the teeth are very tight. Not in cases of staining due to antibiotics.
On the other hand, they are indicated for cases of white teeth with spaces or microdontia. They are also indicated to lengthen the central teeth in a professional model. Likewise, they are also for patients who want to change the volume or slight touch-ups on a tooth, but have a normal color of their teeth.
These considerations are due to the fact that dental veneers, because of their limited thickness, cannot block and whiten a dark color (unless they are more opaque and white than the wall). For dark colors, an all-ceramic crown is always better.
What is a ceramic dental crown
An all-ceramic dental crown is a piece that is trimmed all around by a millimeter and a half, an impression is taken and the technician provides, according to the indications, porcelain for that reduced volume with another lighter color, correcting all the parameters as desired: wider, longer, more volume, whiter…
In addition, ceramic dental crowns can be adjusted in the clinic, and are cemented with plastic cements that increase the transmission of light, and give more naturalness, avoiding the black necks of the old ceramometallic crowns.