A porcelain veneer is a very thin piece of porcelain, typically 0.5mm or less, and it fits over the front surfaces of your teeth. This treatment is used to correct the appearance of front teeth. Porcelain veneers are a great way to help improve your smile, without making any major changes to the structure of your teeth. Your Bromley dentist would only need to remove a very small amount of tooth material to create enough room for the veneers. Porcelain veneers can be used to:

• Change the shape of teeth, including their length and size
• Hide teeth that are discoloured or stained
• Mend chips or cracks in teeth
• Replace worn areas of teeth
• Correct the appearance of slightly misaligned teeth
• Close up or minimise gaps in between teeth

This treatment is extremely versatile as your dentist can replace just one or two veneers, or you can choose to have multiple veneers on both your upper and lower front teeth. If you choose to have multiple veneers then it’s possible to change the overall shade of your teeth to something lighter and whiter if desired.

What’s the Procedure for Having Dental Veneers?

You’ll need to visit Dr Zaki Bashir to find out if dental veneers are the right choice of treatment. Your dentist in Bromley will want to discuss the type of results you hoping to achieve, as well as the number of veneers required. The next step will be to prepare the teeth for the veneers. This is where Dr Bashir will remove a very small amount of tooth structure from the front surfaces of the teeth due be veneered. Next, an impression is taken of your teeth to be sent to the dental laboratory so the veneers can be fabricated.  Once they are finished they will be returned to Bromley Dental Practice for fitting. Your dentist might need to make a few small adjustments to the fit perfect before they are permanently bonded in position. The veneers are quite strong once they have been bonded onto your teeth, and you can brush and floss them as normal. It’s best not to use them for biting into extremely hard foods, or for opening packets as you could chip them.

The condition of the veneers will be checked at each appointment, and regular professional dental care will help prolong their life. Eventually they will need to be replaced, and this treatment is generally not reversible.

Dental veneers are often used in combination with other treatments such as tooth whitening and orthodontic treatment. Using two or more treatments together doesn’t necessarily cost much more, but could be the best way of preserving as much of your tooth material as possible. For example if your teeth are slightly out of alignment then Dr Bashir might recommend you wear braces first of all to help straighten your teeth, before placing veneers. This can mean fewer veneers are required to help perfect the look of your teeth. The overall colour of your teeth can often be lightened considerably through tooth whitening prior to veneers. Dr Bashir will always recommend the most conservative method to brighten up your smile while still achieving top quality results.