Health
The false fingernail of the dentistry world
Veneers are a thin layer of a porcelain-like substance that is used to fit over the front of a tooth. The main reason for a patient requiring a veneer is to make the tooth appear more aesthetically pleasing on the eye or for simple protection purposes. It is a simple and common dental job but it does take two visits to the dentist in order for it to be completed. The first is to prepare the tooth and to match the shade, a practice that sometimes can be tricky for dentists. Sometimes several veneers are used to make sure the shade is the correct one. The second visit is when the actual fitting of the veneer is cemented onto the tooth in question.
Every course for dentists will include how veneers are attached. Any enamel left on the tooth is trimmed back around 0.6 millimetres and then the dentist makes a copy of how the tooth is now shaped. Then, this copy is most commonly sent to a dental laboratory where the porcelain veneer will be constructed although some private Palm Beach dentists have the technology to take a picture of the tooth and create the veneer immediately.
All veneers will eventually have to be replaced at some time or another, the average durability of a porcelain-made one is between five and ten years. The usual cost of fitting a veneer is around £200 per tooth.