Dental veneers are an easy way to address a variety of physical and aesthetic problems and can improve the appearance of your teeth.

Dr Fareed Amod at Crown Dental Studio says, "They can make it possible for people to have perfect smiles, which is often important for building confidence in one's appearance."

Dental veneers are cemented to the front surfaces of your natural teeth. These devices are commonly used to hide flaws in teeth such as:

• Broken or chipped teeth
• Gaps between teeth when orthodontics (braces) are not suitable
• Poorly formed teeth
• Discoloured teeth (which cannot be corrected by whitening)
• To improve a single discoloured tooth

Types of Dental Veneers
The two most common materials used in dental veneers are porcelain and composite resin. Porcelain material, when it is firmly bonded to the tooth, is very strong and durable. Composite veneers can be fabricated by the dentist at a dental office for people who cannot afford the luxury of porcelain veneers.

Crown Dental Studio has a CAD CAM (Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) dentistry machine which is used for in-house veneer fabrications.

Procedure
The application of veneers normally takes at least two visits to the dentist rooms. The first visit is to prepare the teeth and select the shade, and the second is to fit the veneers. Normally only two teeth of the six teeth veneered are completed at a time. These are the upper teeth that are visible in a smile or while talking.

In order for the veneer to fit naturally, a small amount of the tooth surface is removed to permit for the placement of the veneer. An impression is taken of the teeth and sent to the dental laboratory, as porcelain veneers are customised for each patient's teeth by a dental technician.

Much attention is required to the ensure that colour, depth and the shape of the veneer looks natural. Care is paid to the colour grading from a yellower base to a translucent edge to ensure that the teeth do not appear dense, opaque, and fake.

While patients can select how white they want their teeth to be, achieving a healthy balance between very white and natural looking veneers is important. Most  osmetic dentists would suggest choosing a colour that is not more than two shades lighter than the whiteness of your existing teeth.

During the second visit the veneers will be bonded to your teeth with resin cement. As a small portion of enamel is removed when veneers are being installed this means that the process is irreversible.

Consequently, you'll need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the procedure before you decide to get them. It should be noted that dental veneers are not the best solution for everyone who is unhappy with the way their smile looks. However, people can get quick results if they want to correct a tooth problem in a short time frame. The decisionmaking process in having veneers fitted should evaluate if any teeth rehabilitation is required and how any procedure would impact on one's self esteem. If a healthy tooth does not require work than interference is not necessary.

Teeth issues can be fixed with alternatives such as orthodontics, dental bonding and teeth whitening. More severe decay or damage may be need to be corrected through the use of dental crowns or bridges.

Some people experience an increase in tooth sensitivity after getting veneers. You may feel sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures for the first few days after your procedure, but it usually goes away.

Care of Veneers
Veneers cover the front of teeth, therefore tooth decay is not halted, and brushing and flossing is still required. As veneers are often made from porcelain, this material is very resistant to stains. While veneers retain their bright colour, real teeth may become stained or discoloured over time which means whitening treatments for untreated teeth become important.

Veneers are prone to chipping, especially if the person has bad habits like grinding teeth or biting hard things. In addition, most veneers will need to be replaced after approximately five years.

Dr Amod's final advice is, "Make sure that you know what you are doing if you elect to have veneers. Don't use veneers because of social pressure. Once they are fitted, when you look in the mirror, you should see a decision of which you are proud."

Crown Dental Studio is one of the few truly 24-hour dental practises in Durban as this is not limited to emergency dentistry treatment. 

Dr Fareed Amod: Your 24 Hour Dentist Crown Dental Studio
T: +27 81 207 8621
E; info@dramod.co.za
W: www.dramod.co.za