In a world where first impressions are everything, a confident smile can be your greatest asset.
Dental veneers are a long-lasting solution that can provide a natural-looking, durable improvement to the aesthetics of a smile.
Veneers are thin shells of porcelain, composite resin or zirconia that a dentist places over the front surface of the teeth. They are designed to improve the appearance of teeth by changing their shape, size or length.
“People want veneers because their tooth is discolored, chipped, worn or rotated,” says Dr. Adam Schneider of Schneider Family Dentistry in Gaithersburg. “The veneer looks vibrant or young in any color you want.”
Sometimes, the tooth is weakened by multiple fillings or stained from drinking coffee, smoking or drinking red wine.
“The fillings will pick up the stains and the veneer will replace that with a new sheet, almost like a floor tile can cover and protect your floor. It gives a durable ceramic finish that won’t pick up stains,” Schneider says.
Veneers are made either by a robotic mill in the back of a dentist’s office or at a separate dental lab.
The longevity of a veneer depends on the material used. With the composite resin, expect 8 to 10 years. A porcelain veneer will last 15 to 40 years, Schneider says.
Composite veneers are your best bet if you are looking for the most efficient and cost-effective solution. If having a durable and aesthetically pleasing natural look is more important to you, porcelain veneers are your best option, says Dr. Brian Handelman of Smile Designs in Silver Spring.
Factors that affect longevity are hygiene and teeth grinding, Handelman says.
There are potential risks or complications associated with dental veneers.
“They can be cracked by the impact of an elbow or beer bottle. If you have the porcelain veneer, you have to take all of it off and start over with a new one,” Schneider says.
Avoid biting into hard foods like ice, hard candy and popcorn kernels, and try not to chew on nonfood items like pencils or fingernails, Handelman says.
Veneers that chip or break generally have to be replaced.
“It’s difficult to just repair a veneer and make it look really good cosmetically,” Handelman says.
Dental veneers are not considered reversible, Handelman says. During the veneer preparation process, a thick layer of enamel (the outer layer of your tooth) must be removed by the dentist.
Some tips for maintaining and caring for veneers include wearing a night guard if you clench or grind your teeth. If you play contact sports like hockey or boxing, you should wear a mouth guard.
“Don’t get punched in the teeth,” Schneider says.
Limit the amount of acidic food and drink in your diet. It tends to break the bond strength of the veneer, weakening it to the point of falling off, Schneider says.
Veneers are not recommended for teens who play contact sports. Teens should also wait until they’re finished growing and aren’t changing teeth positions, Handelman says.
Veneers are quite expensive and don’t address any underlying issues with dental health.
A single veneer can cost from $1,500 to $2,500 or more. For a full set of veneers (typically 6 to 10 teeth), you can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 or more.
Dental insurance may not cover the cost of veneers as they are considered a cosmetic procedure.
The difference between a veneer and a crown is basically that the crown covers the whole tooth and the veneer covers the front and just over the edge for security, Schneider says.
A veneer is typically for the front teeth. A crown is used for the back teeth. A crown is more aggressive in its preparation.
“You have to remove a lot more tooth to restore one,” Schneider says.
Some patients arrive with big, thick teeth that are dark gray and you’re trying to change them to a beautiful white color, Schneider says. “You have to remove more layers of the dark, ugly tooth to replace it with the white material.”
“Unfortunately, some people’s veneers will pop off and, most of the time, the trouble is they were done too deep—the dentist cut away too much of the tooth structure,” Schneider says.
“Sometimes we’ll bleach people’s teeth first to see how white we can get them using the natural tooth,” Schneider says, “Then if the patient doesn’t like the results enough or the shape is not right, we’ll use a veneer to do that.”
Veneers are not part of dental school training. The dentist has to pay for outside training, Schneider says. “You learn what glue is going to work, what techniques are going to work, what labs to use.”
“Little details can make all the difference. It’s very artistic,” Schneider says. “From the mixing of colors to putting on stains and cracks in the veneers to make them look authentic and aged.”
Dentists avoid the phony look of veneers by adding translucency and shade variation in the tooth, Schneider says. “In other words, near the root, it’s going have more tan and more of a bluish, clear edge at the lower tip. Then there is a blend somewhere in the middle.”
“To some people, they’re either too white or too opaque or too thick,” Handelman says. “My experience can help guide a patient into making the right choices for the shape and the shade in making the final veneer.”
The reputation of the lab and the experience of the dentist have all to do with a quality outcome, Handelman says.
The procedure usually takes two visits, two to three weeks apart. On the first visit, the tooth’s surface is drilled to remove a layer of the enamel, Handelman says. Then the dentist makes an impression of the prepared tooth either through a scanner or traditional impression material.
It’s sent to a professional laboratory where the veneer is made, Handelman says. That same day, the patient leaves with a temporary cover over the tooth or teeth. It takes a few weeks to fabricate the veneers. When the patient returns, the dentist removes the temporary veneer and affixes the porcelain ones with cement.
“It can dramatically improve a smile and a smile is worth a million dollars,” Handelman. “For people who are self-conscious about the look of their teeth—whether it’s from dark stains or misalignment—it can be really life-altering having a whole new smile. I’ve seen it many times over the years.”
