Veneer (dentistry)
Source: Wikipedia
A veneer
History
Veneers were invented by a California dentist named Charles Pincus. At the time, they fell off in a very short time as they were held on by denture adhesive. They were, however,useful for temporarily changing the appearance of movie actors/actress's teeth.Research started in 1982 by Simonsen and Calamia revealed that porcelain could be etched with hydrofluoric acid and bond strengths could be achieved between composite resins and porcelain that were predicted to be able to hold porcelain veneers on to the surface of a tooth permanently. This was confirmed by Calamia [3] in an article describing a technique for fabrication, and placement of Etched Bonded Porcelain Veneers using a refractory model technique and Horn describing a platinum foil technique for veneer fabrication. Additional articles have proven the long term reliability of this technique.
Today, with improved cements and bonding agents, they typically last 10-15 years. But patients who receive veneers should understand that they may only last 10-15 years and then may have to be replaced. This can be very expensive since porcelain veneers cost around $1,000 each in 2006 prices. They are said to be somewhat more durable and less likely to stain than veneers made of composite.
Usage
The advantages of using a veneer to restore a tooth are numerous. Very pleasing aesthetics can be obtained, with minimal tooth preparation (i.e. drilling). Many veneer procedures can be done with the use of little or no local anesthetic. Traditionally, a reduction of approximately 0.5 mm is required for a porcelain veneer. Composite veneers are becoming more popular as they are easy to repair, whereas porcelain veneers have potential to fracture. It can be very difficult to match the shade of an individual veneer to the remaining teeth, hence placing several veneers is common.There are some veneers which do not require any drilling in order to remove tooth structure. Instead, these veneers are constructed to be placed on top of teeth. As a result, treatment is less invasive and may be less time-consuming. On the other hand, since the teeth are not reduced in size the veneers may appear too large or bulky unless the material used is extremely thin. Therefore, the success for these veneers is best when limited to specific cases.
Veneers may be used cosmetically to resurface teeth such as to make them appear straighter and possess a more aesthetically pleasing alignment. This may be a quick way to improve the appearance of malposed teeth without need to use orthodontics. However, the amount of malposition of teeth may be such that veneers alone may not be enough to correct the aesthetic imbalance. Instead, orthodontics would need to be used, or orthodontics combined with veneers. The dentist who places veneers must be careful since veneers could increase the thickness of the front face of the teeth. If the teeth are too thick on the face they may appear to stand out and push out the lips. The effect may be enough to give the patient a full or donkey appearance when the lips are closed. Veneers must also be created such that the patient bites into them with minimal force. Otherwise, they may chip off. So, patients whose lower jaw protrudes out farther than their upper jaw, otherwise known as a class III bite, may not be good candidates for veneers because the teeth of the lower jaw may bite into the teeth of the upper jaw such as to dislodge the veneers.
