A simple glance at someone’s smile can tell you a lot about them. If you are struggling with unsightly teeth, you may find that social interactions can get a little challenging. People have always struggled with the appearance of crooked or yellow teeth. If we wind the clock back to 1928, the first dental veneers were used in Hollywood. This film industry paved the way for one of today’s most sought after dental cosmetic procedures.
Developed by celebrity dentist, Dr. Charles Pincus, dental veneers were initially made to act as temporary solutions to enhance the smiles of on-screen actions during that era. At the end of the day, you had the provision to remove these laminates. With advancements in dentistry, veneers can now be a permanent solution for undesirable teeth.
PORCELAIN VENEERS OR COMPOSITE VENEERS?
The most commonly used materials in fabricating veneers are porcelain and composite. An experienced dental practitioner like the ones at Hampstead Dental in Melbourne can efficiently use either of these materials to beautify your smile.
While the two are comparable in their attributes, how do you decide which one is the best one for you? Below we list some of the advantages and disadvantages of each type.
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Porcelain veneers
Porcelain veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are made to adhere to the outer surface of the teeth and may be stronger than composite veneers. True porcelain veneers will require the contouring of the teeth before you proceed to glue them onto the teeth.
Some properties of porcelain veneers are:
- Wide selection of colours: Often, dental veneers made with composite resin can appear “too white” or chalky because of the limited colours options they come in. For porcelain veneers, you can choose the right kind of white that is perfectly complementary to your skin tone, age, the whites of your eyes, and even your gender!
- Aesthetics and natural look: Translucency is the property that allows light to pass through a veneer. This is an important component responsible for permitting the veneers to reflect light much like real teeth. When determining translucency, your dentist will inspect the colour of the enamel of your existing teeth so that the veneer to be fabricated can beautifully blend in with them.
- Durability and toughness: Porcelain is a highly sturdy material and is leaps and bounds ahead of ordinary resin composite veneers. If maintained with proper care, these porcelain veneers can last anywhere from 10 to 15 years or even an entire lifetime!
- Stain and damage resistance: Porcelain is not only a high-strength material but is also essentially stain-proof. They are especially resilient to external staining like to coffee or wine. As a result, even after years to come after your procedure, your teeth will continue to look amazing!
2. Composite veneers
Composite veneers are designed to be more cost-effective and require significantly less preparation of the tooth compared to porcelain veneers. They are made from composite resin, which is a mixture of plastic and fine glass particles.
Some brilliant properties of composite veneers are:
- Aesthetic and repairable: Composite veneers can be easily repaired if they chip or crack. The resin material allows for easy adjustments and touch-ups by your dentist.
- Less preparation time: Composite veneers require less removal of the natural tooth enamel compared to porcelain veneers. This conservative approach preserves more of your natural tooth structure.
- Cost-effective: Composite veneers are generally less expensive than porcelain veneers. This makes them a more accessible option for patients seeking cosmetic improvements on a budget.
- Quick procedure: The application of composite veneers can often be completed in a single visit. The resin material is applied directly to the teeth and shaped, then hardened with a special light.
Be it porcelain or composite dental veneers, our dentists at Hampstead Dental assure you that you’ll be gifted with incredible outcomes. For stained, chipped, or misshapen teeth, dental veneers help mask and alleviate these concerns to give you that Hollywood smile you have always wanted. Get your dental veneers done in Melbourne today!
