Dental veneers

Dental veneers are natural looking, thin cosmetic coverings applied on top of natural teeth to prevent deterioration and improve appearance.

Veneers are relatively thin and made from porcelain or other ceramic materials. This is colour matched to your existing teeth, so the veneers blend in perfectly. The original teeth need very little preparation before the dental veneers are held in place by a strong adhesive.

We may recommend dental veneers:

• If the enamel on your teeth is wearing away (for example through teeth grinding (bruxism) or acid mouth)
• To cover discolouration or to lighten a few teeth
• To conceal a chip or crack
• To cover a small mis-alignment or gap.

We always provide a full treatment plan and costings so you can decide if you want to go ahead

You will normally need two appointments.

1st Appointment – Preparing for veneers
Typically, we remove a fine outer layer of enamel from the teeth being veneered (this should not be noticeable afterwards, although the enamel may feel less smooth). This ensures that:

• The veneer will bond properly when fitted, and
• That afterwards, your veneered teeth will be the same thickness as the originals and not ‘stand out’.

We also take impressions of your teeth using a mould, and colour match the veneers to the surrounding teeth. These are then sent to the dental laboratory so that tey can make the veneers.

2nd Appointment - Fitting the veneers
Before bonding the veneers in place we will show you their position to make sure you are happy. Then we bond them into their final position using a special, powerful adhesive.

Dental veneers can be cared for just like normal teeth.