Hi, I’m Dr Thea, one of the dentists here at Dental House Group.
Our new patient, David from Richmond, is planning on getting dental veneers to upgrade his smile. His friend Matt recently got his smile makeover with us, and he was so impressed with how natural it looks, that’s why he also organised a smile consultation with us.
During our consultation, he mentioned that he was concerned that the veneers might weaken his teeth.
This is such a great question and so I wanted to make this video to explain the effect that dental veneers have on our teeth, and help you understand the process so you can feel assured if you choose this solution.
But before I talk about how veneers affect your teeth, I want to make sure you know what a dental veneer is. Veneers are tooth coverings made to permanently cover the front of a tooth. We customise each veneer to cosmetically improve the shape, colour or placement of a tooth, so that it fits in with the rest of your teeth. The goal is to improve your smile with a solution that looks as natural as your own teeth, but better.
Veneers may be created with composite bonding or porcelain. Composite veneers are moulded around your tooth to improve the look, but is not the most popular option because this material can stain and does not feel as nice as the other option, which is porcelain. Porcelain veneers look and feel like natural teeth and are the most durable solution to repair teeth. They are resistant to staining and feel just like your own teeth, once they are secured into place and polished to match the rest of your teeth.
Dental veneers will not weaken or harm your teeth. In fact, veneers can be used to strengthen and protect teeth that have been cracked or chipped. They are also used to protect the structure of teeth that have been worn down or damaged. In this way, veneers increase the integrity of your natural teeth.
So, back to our question, will dental veneers weaken my teeth? Simply put, no. Veneers will not ruin, damage or weaken your teeth. We will have to prepare your tooth for the veneer, and to do this, we shave a little bit of enamel off to create a rough surface. This will hold the bonding and the veneer in place and make it last a long time. But even though some enamel is removed, it’s a very small amount, and the veneer will then cover the tooth and take the place of the enamel, which will protect your tooth.
Your new dental veneers will last from 4 to 8 years for composite and 10 to 12 years for porcelain. Of course, this depends on how you take care of them and the rest of your teeth. While the veneers may be durable, your natural teeth and gums are still susceptible to staining, bacteria and infection. Daily oral hygiene and regular dental checkups will help keep your teeth and mouth as healthy as possible. And of course, you cannot go biting off bottle caps with your teeth if you want your teeth and veneers to last.
So I hope I answered your question about how veneers affect your teeth. If you want to see if veneers are right for you, we would love to look after you.
Simply call us on 1800GENTLE, DM us on social media, or complete the form on our website and we will help you organise a consultation. See you in the next video!
