Dental Veneers - Pros And Cons

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Teeth veneers

Veneers are ceramic or composite microprostheses placed on the front surface of the teeth that fall into the smile zone. Veneers give the front teeth an even, attractive appearance, the desired color and shape.

Veneers differ from crowns in that they do not completely cover the teeth, but only their frontal part and the incisal edge. Most often, a microprosthesis is installed on 8 lower and 10 upper teeth.

The thickness of this type of microprosthesis does not exceed 0.6 mm. To visualize this thickness, you can take an eggshell and look at it. So the veneers will be about twice as thick. Although there are still more subtle varieties of veneers - these are lumineers (up to 0.1 mm).

The appearance of the dentition after veneers are installed on them is significantly improved, the teeth acquire the desired shape, color and strength. Modern dentistry manufactures prostheses that will be simply impossible to visually distinguish from their own teeth. However, the pros and cons of the veneers installed on the teeth are very controversial, so you should familiarize yourself with them before deciding on the procedure.

Content:

• Types of veneers on teeth
• Pros of veneers on teeth
• Cons of veneers on teeth

Types of veneers on teeth

There are two types of materials from which veneers are made: ceramics and composite:

1. Ceramic veneers. Ceramic veneers are usually distinguished into porcelain and zirconia. You can also come across such names as indirect veneers or orthopedic veneers. The fact is that this type of microprostheses is made by an orthopedic dentist, not a dentist-therapist. To create a prosthesis, you will need a dental laboratory. Only after a series of corrections and color selections will it be possible to attach veneers to the teeth.

   Porcelain veneers can be made from pressed and non-pressed ceramics. For the production of pressed veneers, the ceramics are first kept under high pressure and then injection molded at high temperatures. This allows you to achieve maximum strength and reliability of the structure.

   Non-pressed veneers are made from porcelain mass, which is applied in layers and fired. In terms of strength, such veneers are inferior to pressed porcelain microprostheses, but they look more aesthetically pleasing.

   Veneers made of zirconium dioxide are distinguished by the minimum fragility and maximum naturalness. Porcelain is also used for their manufacture, however, a strong zirconium frame serves as a support for it. Zirconium veneers are even more reliable than pressed porcelain microprostheses, however, they are less transparent, since they have a denser framework.

   The choice of material for the manufacture of veneers should be based on the original color of the enamel of your own teeth. If the enamel is dense, then you can opt for any veneers, and if transparent, then it is better to choose porcelain microprostheses.

2. Composite veneers. Even a dentist-therapist can make this kind of microprostheses, since they are made right in the patient's mouth. If we look at the essence of composite veneers, then they can be called a conventional filling, which is located on the front of the lower and upper dentition.

   To make quality composite veneers, you need a laboratory, not a regular dental office.

   Characteristics of composite veneers:

   • The aesthetics of composite veneers are far from the naturalness, transparency and shine of their ceramic counterparts. In addition, such microprostheses differ in color, transparency and surface quality from the patient's own teeth.
   • The color of composite veneers quickly loses its original attractiveness. Over time, the design fades and darkens.
   • Composite microprostheses are very fragile compared to ceramic veneers, which means they have a lower degree of reliability. This is especially true for the front teeth, because it is with their help that a person bites off food.

   • The very technique of making a microprosthesis inside the patient's mouth should be in doubt. After all, it is unlikely that it will be possible to make a high-quality and beautiful dentition in a time limited to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Pros of veneers on teeth

Veneers are popular micro-prostheses that are highly popular among patients in dental clinics.

The advantages of veneers on teeth are the following:

• Long service life. If the microprosthesis was made of high-quality materials, and the technology of its production was not violated, then the veneers can last at least 10 years.
• Color fastness. Ceramic veneers have this positive feature, as they have a smooth, durable surface that is impervious to any staining microparticles. Veneers are plaque-repelling and attractive over a long period of time.
• Maximum closeness to naturalness, natural color. A mini-prosthesis can be selected taking into account the initial color of the enamel of the patient's own teeth.
• The ability to hide various teeth defects, their pigmentation, the presence of large gaps, etc.
• The speed of the procedure. As a rule, the production of even the highest quality veneers does not take more than 1 week.
• Relative simplicity of the procedure. Although the teeth require prior grinding, there is no need to remove as much tissue as when installing a crown.

There are many questions regarding the service life of veneers. Research has been carried out on this score. One of them, completed in 2007, showed that in 100 patients who installed this type of microprostheses:

• After 6 years, 96% of the pads were intact;
• 11 years later - 91% of veneers;
• After 16 years - 71% of veneers.

Those veneers that periodically failed were damaged as a result of improper dental hygiene, which led to caries, due to mechanical injury or due to sudden temperature changes affecting the prosthesis.

Speaking about the advantages of veneers on teeth, it is worth mentioning the indications for their use:

• Patient dissatisfaction with the shape of the tooth crown.
• Discoloration of tooth enamel that cannot be corrected with bleaching.
• The presence of a chip on the cutting edge of the tooth.
• The presence of gaps between the teeth.
• Curvature of teeth.

Cons of veneers on teeth

Naturally, like any other type of prosthetics, mini-prosthetics with veneers has its drawbacks.

Therefore, before deciding on the procedure, you should carefully study all the disadvantages of veneers on the teeth:

• The main disadvantage is the irreversibility of the procedure. That is, it will never be possible to achieve the same appearance of the teeth. The fact is that before installing the veneer, the patient's own tooth will be processed - turned. Tooth enamel, as you know, cannot be restored. Having decided to remove the veneers in a few years, you will need to think about whether to make new mini-prostheses, or replace teeth with dental crowns. It is worth knowing that before installing veneers, you will have to remove up to 0.5 mm from the tooth.
• Moderate denture fragility. Although veneers are considered to be very durable dentures, they can nevertheless chip and crack. This is especially true for the front teeth. There are cases when, with an incorrect or careless bite, the veneer simply broke off from the base tooth.
• The high cost of the procedure. The better the microprosthesis is, the higher its price will be. The most durable and reliable zirconia ceramic veneers are quite expensive.
• Whatever the quality of the prosthesis, it will still be artificial, so after a while, even if it is long, it will have to be replaced.
• The presence of contraindications to their installation.

You cannot put veneers on teeth for people who have the following problems:

• Increased abrasion of teeth, which occurs more often, the older the person;
• Complete loss of the sixth and seventh chewing teeth;
• Leading an extreme lifestyle, for example, boxing or other contact sports;
• Preliminary treatment with resorcinol-formalin;
• Bruxism or a habit of grinding your teeth while resting at night;
• Adherence to bad habits - gnawing nails, seeds, biting off threads, opening bottle caps with your teeth, etc.;
• Severe destruction of the inner surface of the tooth;
• Filling a tooth with a large or medium filling from its inner surface;
• Bite disorders.

If the above contraindications were absolute, then the relative contraindications include thin enamel on the front teeth. This is due to the fact that during turning it will be completely erased, and it will not be possible to securely fix the veneers on the soft dentin of the tooth.

The author of the article: Muravitsky Boris Viktorovich, dentist, especially for the website ayzdorov.ru