A veneer is a thin layer of material placed over a tooth that’s meant to either improve the aesthetics of the tooth or to protect from damage to a tooth’s surface. Veneers help provide a uniform shape, color and symmetry to the teeth, making them appear straight.
Veneers are highly resistant to permanent staining from coffee, tea, and cigarette smoke.
There are two main types of material used to fabricate a veneer: composite and dental porcelain. A composite veneer may be directly placed (built-up in the mouth), or indirectly fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory, and later bonded to the tooth. A porcelain veneer may only be indirectly fabricated.
In cosmetic dentistry veneers may be used to restore a single tooth that has been fractured or discolored. Spaces that are not easily closed by orthodontics and worn or crooked teeth can often by fixed through the use of dental veneers.
