A dental veneer is a thin layer of material in the shape of your tooth, which is attached to the front surface and covers it up entirely. The placement on the front of the tooth means the veneer can hide chips or cracks, improving its appearance, enhancing its strength, and replacing discolouration or grey shadows where the nerve has died but the tooth remains. Veneers are also helpful in covering gaps between teeth as they can be made wider than the tooth behind.
Restore and brighten your smile with dental veneers.
Why would I need Dental Veneers?
If you have suffered damage to a front facing or visible tooth due to an accident or personal circumstances, you may want to consider veneers to cover the damage so that you can smile, talk, and eat without feeling self-conscious.
The following are the most common reasons we see at Tea Tree Dental why patients consider veneers:
Discolouration
Our teeth naturally become discoloured and lightly stained as we age due to our diet, drinking coffee, and even some medications. If you don’t want the hassle and cost of repeated teeth whitening, veneers can be a more permanent solution to a brighter, whiter smile.
Tooth misalignment
Where you have a minor misalignment that is bothering you, you can take advantage of veneers to provide a fuss-free and painless solution by covering the teeth behind, avoiding the need for a procedure to realign the existing teeth.
Small gaps between teeth
Veneers can be tailored to your smile and made slightly larger or wider than the existing teeth so that they extend over any small gaps between the teeth you dislike the appearance of.
Chipped or irregular enamel
If you have a chipped tooth at the front of your smile but the tooth is otherwise healthy, a veneer can be the ideal solution to restore your confidence. The veneer is attached to the tooth and covers the chip, resulting in a smooth and seamless look.
Added strength
If you have broken a front facing or visible tooth, such as a central tooth, adding a veneer as a layer of protection top of the capped tooth helps strengthen the cap underneath and therefore reduces the likelyhood of the cap breaking off.
Tooth sensitivity
In situations where you may have thin, worn, or impaired enamel, veneers can effectively relieve tooth sensitivity. This is due to their ability to serve as a safeguarding shield between the natural tooth structure and temperature-related stimuli that trigger sensitivity. Consequently, rather than directly impacting the enamel, these stimuli will be intercepted by the veneer, which acts as a shield.
The process of having dental veneers placed
Veneers are relatively quick to place, however the process does take place over a few visits, which is generally 2-3 weeks. After a consultation and oral health check to assess for the suitability of veneers, the first step in placing veneers is to remove a thin layer of the enamel of the problem tooth so that it has room to bond with the surface. Your final porcelain veneers will need to be custom-made from a mould of your tooth to ensure an accurate, natural looking and comfortable fitting.
While your porcelain veneers are being produced, we put in place temporary veneers that closely resemble the final result. This 2–3 week time period gives you get a chance to get used to your new smile and how the final veneers will look and feel.
A common and valid concern we hear at Tea Tree Dental when patients are deciding to get veneers is that they will make their teeth look unnaturally perfect or bulky. However, if veneers are placed by an experienced cosmetic dentist, utilising the mould of your own teeth, the veneers have a highly natural appearance. Additionally, this is also why a thin layer of enamel is removed so that the veneers will blend in with your natural teeth. Most people won’t even be able to tell you have veneers, they’ll just notice your smile looks amazing.
Once your final veneers are ready, we will book you in again, remove any temporary veneers we placed earlier and fit your porcelain veneers.
