Porcelain veneers are dental veneers made using tooth-coloured porcelain to cover up the visible surface of your teeth. They are very thin and custom-made to fit, so that you notice them as little as possible once they are in place.
But once they are bonded to your natural teeth, they have an instant effect on your visible smile, giving you a more even, whiter smile immediately. As a result, porcelain laminates have become a popular option for quick, non-intrusive cosmetic overhauls of smiles that don’t already look their best.
What are porcelain veneers used for?
Dental veneers – including porcelain veneers – can be used to disguise tooth damage and permanent discolouration.
Some examples include:
- Staining from medicines
- Discolouration after root canal treatment
- Visible surface damage to tooth enamel
- Repair work on front surface of teeth
- Other visible damage and discolouration
In addition, porcelain veneers can correct minor problems with the physical shape of teeth, where the concern is cosmetic rather than posing any risk to health:
- Worn down teeth
- Small chips to teeth edges
- Irregularly shaped teeth
- Small gaps between teeth
- Misalignment of neighbouring teeth
Dental veneers can be combined with other methods, such as dental implants and implant retained dentures, to restore a complete, even, clean smile once any significant health concerns have also been dealt with.
Partial porcelain dental veneers
Dental veneers don’t have to be used across your entire mouth – in fact it’s quite common for porcelain veneers only to be used on the front-most teeth where they’re most visible. If you’ve had work done on just one tooth (or 2-3) and it’s left visible damage, a natural-looking porcelain veneer can be applied only to the damaged area if preferred, or can be limited to just your top or bottom teeth.
However, in many cases patients prefer to have dental veneers at least across their main visible teeth, to maximise the benefits in terms of achieving a straight, white, healthy looking smile.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to know more about dental veneers, including porcelain veneers as a way to restore the aesthetic appeal of damaged and discoloured teeth, please get in touch with Hale Bowdon Dental Practice today by calling 0161 928 1212.
We will be happy to talk through the options with you, as well as booking an initial consultation, so we can take a look at your teeth up close and help you to decide on the best way to proceed.
