Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog

Do you have some crowding in your teeth or a gap between some of the front teeth? Do your teeth have slightly mis-matched sizes? A smile can be vastly improved when relatively small defects like these are corrected, and a quick and effective way to correct them is porcelain veneers.

Actually that is not quite true because veneers correct nothing. They are tooth covers, placed on front surfaces only, and they cover small defects rather than correcting them. If you have one or more relatively large gaps between front teeth, or crowding throughout your mouth, you might need orthodontic work to re-align all your teeth for structural improvement rather than a cosmetic dentistry procedure to enhance your smile visually.

But if you have, for example, a small gap between the upper two front incisors, two porcelain veneers can cover it. Each veneer would be made slightly extended on the gap side so they would meet nicely and the gap would now be invisible and irrelevant.

Many companies offer brand-name porcelain veneers. Some of the brands are Empress, MAC, and da Vinci and there are others, all with various advantages and disadvantages. They are all designed to create a smooth, even line for your smile.

“Prep”, “Low Prep” and “No Prep” Veneers

All dental veneers are very thin but the exact thinness varies among the brands. Most veneers are between 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm thick – about as thick as a contact lens or a fingernail. They require the removal of some tooth enamel to make room for them, so that your teeth and veneers can be kept in a smooth line. These are “prep” veneers.

One of the thinner brands of veneer is Durathin, at 0.3 mm thick. Thinner veneers are made from stronger porcelain and require less tooth enamel to be removed. However, the thinner your veneers are, the more your underlying tooth color can show through. Also, there is a limit to how thin veneers can be and still be structurally sound. Durathin veneers tend to look very good and last well and are in the category of “low-prep” veneers.

• Lumineers

You may have heard of Lumineers, as the manufacturer, Den-Mat in California, has promoted them strongly. They are also 0.3 mm thick but are marketed as needing “no-prep”. No tooth enamel needs to be removed. Some dentists are enthusiastic about Lumineers but others are not and do not offer them.

A common criticism of Lumineers is that they look less natural – they look bulky and thick, despite being very thin. As well, people with Lumineers often complain that they can feel a bump along their teeth at the gumline and sometimes that their upper lip gets caught on that bump.

One advantage of Lumineers is that they could be a reversible procedure since no tooth enamel is removed. If you decided you didn’t like them after all, you could go back to your natural teeth or have something else done.

However, if you choose your cosmetic dentist well and have your porcelain veneers properly done, you would not need to reverse it. As always, it is best to research your procedure before making decisions about it.

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