How Effective Are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers can be used to cover gapped, misaligned, or stained teeth. These permanent tooth coverings are made out of a variety of materials, the most common being porcelain, allowing for a cosmetic solution that does not require special care beyond basic dental hygiene and can last up to 15 years. Find out how this treatment can address many different dental issues.

What issues can veneers effectively treat?

For many dental patients, veneers are effective in a variety of applications to enhance and complete a smile.

Whitening a smile

While these shells are applied over the teeth rather than changing the color of the actual teeth, they can be used to cover deep stains. Teeth can become stained from a variety of causes, such as food, fillings, certain dental procedures, and even too much fluoride. If the stains are too severe or difficult to remove, the dentist may suggest veneers to cover up the discoloration and whiten the patient's smile. The treatment also has the benefit of being stain-resistant and natural-looking, and the color can be customized to match the patient's teeth and smile.

Smoothing a smile

Teeth can be uneven because of natural growth, trauma to the mouth, or other causes. An alternative to straightening procedures is to apply veneers that even out the misaligned teeth. Whether this treatment is feasible depends on the patient and the particular alignment issues. It can be done on one tooth or multiple.

Additionally, the treatment can work on teeth that are broken or worn and do not require extensive shaping to fit. Patients can expect veneers to be durable and last for many years without special maintenance before replacement is necessary.

Who can get veneers?

While this procedure works well for many patients, it is not always recommended for everyone. Patients with a habit of grinding teeth or chewing nails may not be a good fit because those habits can cause the veneers to wear faster or fall off. Patients with irregular tooth color may have a difficult time finding a shell that matches well. An extremely uneven tooth alignment may also require more extensive correction to resolve.

The shells must be formed to fit each patient's unique mouth, so installation requires more than one trip to the dentist. The first visit is usually a consultation during which the dentist can discuss options and make measurements for the fitting by taking X-rays or molds of the patient's mouth. When the measurements are complete, the dentist has a lab make the veneers or else constructs them in-office, and installation is completed at the next appointment. Some dentists may give the patient temporary veneers while the permanent ones are being made.