What are the different types of veneers
Veneers are divided into 2 types by procedure: Direct Veneers and Indirect Veneers.
Direct Veneers are manufactured or fabricated chairside by the practitioner with his own skills and dexterity. The material used is composite resin, which is chairside material. The other type of Veneer which is made in the laboratory , can also be made of composite resin or it can be made of porcelain; which is more costly. Porcelain can only be manufactured into the laboratory.
Are Veneers Permanent:
Nothing in life is permanent 😉 But yes, they come as close to permanent as possible, when looking at success rates of 10-20 years. Porcelain veneers (in particular) are a lot more stable in the sense of their color. They are not as easily impacted by environmental factors. Things like diet or lifestyle like smoking will affect your veneers; composite affected more so than porcelain. Composite veneers do stain and thus would need replacements anywhere from 3-5 years whereas porcelain veneers are a lot more color stable and last a lot longer.
Do Veneers ruin your real teeth?
In essence, anything that is placed onto a healthy tooth has ‘ruined it’. So it’s important that a veneer is selected based on specific needs that would enhance health. If your tooth is perfectly healthy, we don’t suggest putting anything prosthetic (like a veneer) on it.
However, veneers are the most minimally invasive of all dental procedures. You could either have them bonded without any preparations on the tooth or If preparations are required, they would be as little as 0,3mm.
Do they shave your teeth for veneers:
If they do shave, it’s very minor( 0,3mm ). Crowns and Veneers are very different, and we have noticed on TikTok especially, a lot of younger people getting their teeth prepared for crowns and calling them veneers. The preparation of a tooth for a crown is a lot more severe and should never be voluntary, especially on healthy teeth in a young person.