Porcelain Dental Veneers – the basics

A porcelain dental veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that is bonded permanently to the front surface of the tooth to enhance its appearance. Whether you are unhappy with the straightness of your teeth, or are self-conscious about stains or chips, with our high quality treatment for porcelain dental veneers in Victoria,Belgravia, London we can help to transform your smile at Elizabeth Street Dentist.

Spaces or gaps between your teeth can easily be closed using dental veneers, while veneers placed over slightly crooked teeth will give a straight and perfectly aligned-looking smile. Veneers can be used to give dramatic results and can change a person’s confidence and appearance.

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Why Recommend a Veneer?

Veneer treatments may be recommended for various reasons, for example:

  • treatment for cosmetic purposes to improve the patient’s smile
  • treatment to camouflage a darkened non-vital tooth/teeth
  • treatment to correct mishapen tooth/teeth
  • alternate option to orthodontics to perhaps close gaps/spaces inbetween teeth

An alternative treatment to Dental Veneers is Orthodontics or Natural Tooth Coloured Resin Restorations or a Crown.

A natural-coloured filling material can be used for minor repairs to front teeth. This is excellent when the tooth can support a filling, but may not work so well for broken tooth corners. There will always be a join between the tooth and the filling material. Crowns can be used for teeth which need to be strengthened – either because they have broken, have been weakened by a very large filling, or have had root canal treatment.

How Long Do They Last?

Veneers should last for many years; but they can chip or break, just like your own teeth can. Your dental team will tell you how long each veneer should last. Small chips can be repaired, or a new veneer fitted if necessary.

How to Prepare Teeth For Veneers

Some of the shiny, outer enamel surface of the tooth may be removed, to make sure that the veneer can be bonded permanently in place later. The amount of enamel removed is tiny and will be the same as the thickness of the veneer to be fitted, so that the tooth stays the same size. A local anaesthetic (injection) may be used to make sure that there is no discomfort, but often this is not needed.

Once the tooth has been prepared, the dental team will take an ‘impression’ (mould). This will be given to the dental technician, along with any other information needed to make the veneer. The colour of the surrounding teeth is matched on a shade guide to make sure that the veneer will look entirely natural by the dental team on the day however in some cases the dental technician may see the patient to custom-map the shade for the veneer(s).

Preparing and fitting a porcelain dental veneer

Our Porcelain veneer treatments in Chelsea, are a customised porcelain-based covering for the front of the tooth, designed to mask the shape or colour of a tooth. The treatment is usually carried out over two visits.

During your first visit the tooth is prepared very carefully by the dentist by adjusting the most minimal amount of the front face of the tooth. The tooth is given a temporary covering while the dental lab constructs the veneer to fit.

When you arrive for your next visit for the fitting of your veneers, Elizabeth Street Dentist’s lab will have crafted the porcelain veneer (or veneers) which will be fitted to the front of your teeth during the treatment session. The second appointment is usually around 10 days after your first visit, and the duration of the treatment session will depend on how many veneers are being done.

After the veneer is fitted

Once we have performed your porcelain veneer fitting, Chelsea-based Elizabeth Street Dentist will provide you with care instructions, and the veneers will be monitored by the dentist at your routine dental exam appointments. Veneers can last for many years, depending on how you treat them. However, it is very important to remember that the mouth is a changing environment and the natural ageing process may mean that a veneer has to be replaced.

For more information on our porcelain veneers in Victoria, or smile makeovers call Elizabeth Street Dentist today on: 020 7730 6160 or email us via the contact page.