Teeth veneers are a thin facing that covers the front side of your tooth.  Veneers are used in situations when the cosmetic appearance of the tooth would benefit from having a new fresh covering on the front over a full-coverage crown that requires more tooth structure to be removed.  Teeth veneers work by permanently cementing a full facing on the front of an existing tooth to provide a more aesthetic appearance.

If well cared for, teeth veneers will last for many years.  However, many factors will impact the longevity of a tooth veneer.  These include diet, how the teeth come together, trauma, risk level of developing decay and infection in the tooth, professional and home care routines.  The best way to ensure you keep your tooth veneer for as long as possible is to follow a strict home care routine and visit the dentist every six months to allow them to inspect the tooth veneer and the underlying tooth structure to make sure everything is still healthy and sound.

There are two products dentists will use to make your new teeth veneer.  A direct tooth veneer is made out of composite resin.  The same plastic material is used when you have a routine tooth filling.  Using composite resin is a more cost-effective and quick solution to changing the look of a tooth, however, this material is not as strong, will stain more easily and is prone to chipping and breakages.  You may need to have it replaced or repaired every few years depending on your care routines and other factors that will impact the material’s long term stability.  

The second option dentists use for a tooth veneer, and the most commonly used is porcelain ceramic.  This material is far stronger, harder wearing and less prone to chipping and stain.  A tooth veneer made out of porcelain also tends to look more natural in the smile since a lab technician will customise the shade and shape to match your existing teeth perfectly.

It can be difficult to identify and diagnose a cavity or infection under a tooth veneer in a visual examination or with an x-ray as the dental veneers are radio-opaque meaning it blocks the radiation from passing through making it almost impossible to see what’s happening underneath and inside the tooth.  The majority of the time, the dentist relies on the patient’s feedback on symptoms felt by the tooth to diagnose a cavity under a dental veneer.  In some cases, the dentist may suggest removing the veneer in order to inspect the tooth structure and give a clear diagnosis, however this means the full replacement with a new veneer.

Any time a dentist takes a drill to a tooth it causes some trauma to the living tooth structure.  Every layer of the tooth has nerve endings and adds strength to the overall tooth.  Therefore when you remove any amount of tooth structure it is considered damaging to the tooth to some degree.  If done well, by an expert who understands the impact of removing more tooth structure than is needed to make room for a tooth veneer, this treatment is considered relatively safe.  The cause for concern is due to the fact that most teeth undergoing teeth veneer treatment are usually healthy, vital teeth that have never had a filling or any treatment done to them, and since teeth veneers are considered to be a cosmetic service rather than for a functional purpose, some may say having a teeth veneer is causing unnecessary damage to a perfectly healthy tooth.