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The process of getting veneers is simple, but it's easy to get confused by dental jargon and the continuously expanding range of treatments.

Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain that can be applied to the surface of the teeth. You can think of them like re-plastering a room in your house, it's not going to change the size of the room, but it lets you cover up those cracks and marks that appear over time.

Sounds easy? It is. It's a clever way of giving your teeth a fresh start. Here are 3 things you should be looking into if you think they're the right route to take for your new smile.

1 - Cheap Veneers = Expensive Mistake

As our dentists are always saying, the best cosmetic dentistry looks natural. No one wants to have a false-looking pair of teeth, even if they are sparkling white.

When it comes to veneers, this means paying attention to detail. A natural tooth has a lifetime of tiny imperfections that give it a unique surface texture. People's eyes pick up on this. If the porcelain is perfectly smooth and monochrome, it sticks out a mile, especially if its sitting next to a natural tooth.

We've searched high and low for skilled dental technicians who can produce top-quality porcelain veneers. It's not easy to imitate a natural tooth down to the last detail, but the veneers from Da Vinci Laboratory in California come pretty close! We offer these to our patients because we know how high people's expectations are for modern cosmetic dentistry.

2 - Veneers or Crowns?

The difference between veneers and crowns is a matter of technicality. While Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain applied to the outside of the tooth, crowns are slightly thicker and sit onto the tooth like a hat.

The limitation of veneers is that you can't reposition the teeth. If teeth are facing the wrong direction, applying a thin layer of porcelain to the surface isn't going to change this. Crowns on the other hand, leave more margin for adjustment.

We always try to preserve the natural tooth as much as possible and since veneers are a more lightweight alteration than crowns, we often suggest a quick treatment of braces to get things in line before doing veneers.

How white is natural white?

Unlike natural teeth, which are porous and become stained over time, the shade of your veneer will always be what you chose with your dentist. If this is a sparkling white, then you'll want to keep the neighboring natural teeth white too, so they match.

A good guide for picking a shade is to match the whites in a person's eyes. Although it's a matter of personal preference, we generally stay on the side of delivering natural-looking results.

The handy thing is that you don't have to worry about teeth-whitening when you've had veneers and if it's top of the scale white teeth you're looking for then maintaining that is a lot easier than it would be with natural teeth.

We use Smile Design to give our patients a preview of what the outcome will look like. This way they can be involved in choosing the new shapes and shades of their smile. Check out our Smile Gallery to see firsthand what we can do for you.