Types of Porcelain Veneers, Explained by Dallas Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mark Sowell

June 9, 2009 - PRLog -- Veneers are made of one of five types of materials no matter what they are named. Because there are different types of veneers and the patients in our Dallas cosmetic dentistry office often are unaware of the differences, I chose to write this overview of the different types of dental veneers available in our Dallas cosmetic dentistry office and in the market abroad. As I am a cosmetic dentist in Dallas dedicated to giving each of my patients the best possible solution for their individual needs, our cosmetic dentistry office utilizes all types of veneers dependant on each patients’ unique situation and desires.

1.   Composite Material Veneers

There is different chemical composition of composites in these types of veneers, but for this discussion I have lumped them together since this is not what patients are hearing about from advertising and the internet. Composite veneers are mostly hand made by the dentist in the patient’s mouth in one appt as I do in our Dallas cosmetic dentistry office. The teeth are shaped and then the veneer is layered, shaped and polished onto the patient’s teeth by the cosmetic dentist. The result is dependent on the skill and artistic ability of the dentist. Composite tends to be slightly weaker than porcelain and on average can chip and stain more easily. This can be overcome by bite design, case selection and excellent polishing and finishing skills.

2.   Pressed Ceramic Veneers (Porcelain)

This porcelain veneer is stronger than feldspathic (stacked) type of porcelain veneers but requires more thickness and therefore more tooth reshaping. It is monochromatic (one color) but can be customized by a skilled ceramist through cutting back and layering feldspathic porcelain to it to create a beautiful polychromatic veneer. I often select this type of porcelain veneer for clenchers and grinders in our Dallas dental office whom we must add tooth length and the patient has a high smile line where natural esthetic requirements are high by our Dallas cosmetic dentistry patients.

3.   Feldspathic ( stacked) Ceramic Veneers ( Porcelain)

This type of porcelain veneer is where the greatest master ceramists can display their artistic and natural beauty. All the color and intrinsic characterization is layered into the veneer giving the ceramist the greatest range of natural effects that a tooth can have in nature. This is my material of choice in our cosmetic dentistry office in Dallas for patients who do little or no clenching and grinding, have a high smile line and have the highest esthetic standards for natural characterization. It can be made very thin. The limitation is in this type of veneer is strength, so case selection important, especially if lengthening teeth significantly.

4.   Leucite Reinforced Pressed Ceramic Veneers (Porcelain)

This porcelain veneer is stronger than the rest and therefore can be made thinner for my Dallas cosmetic dentistry patients. It is a monochromatic type of porcelain veneer that depends on optic bonding properties to pick up colors of the tooth to be more polychromatic. It is designed to go with the no or minimal reshaping technique since it can be very thin (.2 mm). To keep it thin, it would have less ability to alter color of the cosmetic dentistry patient’s tooth, without giving up translucently of the tooth. This type of veneer is patented and can only be made by the cerinate design studio in California. The skill of the ceramist is dependent on who the cerinate lab hires. Independent ceramist or ceramist in other lab cannot use this system.

5.   Lithium Disilicate Veneers

This is the newest type of porcelain veneers capable of being bonded to a tooth and is much stronger the above porcelains, the veneers are approximately twice as strong, therefore more resistant to chipping. This is an excellent choice for severe bruxiers and grinders. In the last 5 years it has been used in the back of the month where esthetic demands are not as great for our Dallas cosmetic dentistry patients. Currently manufactures are creating more natural colors to meet the esthetic demands of the front teeth. It is both pressed and milled from CADCAM technology.

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