Cosmetic Dentistry with Composite Veneers by Dr `Atil Athirah

Cosmetic can be defined as an adjective or a noun.

Definition as an adjective; involving or relating to treatment intended to restore or improve a person’s appearance.

Definition as an noun; a product applied to the body, especially the face, to improve its appearance.

We usually perceived cosmetic as makeup products used on skin. On the other hand, we have “makeups” for our teeth too and we call it COSMETIC DENTISTRY!!

So what is cosmetic dentistry?? Back to the definition of cosmetic, cosmetic dentistry is basically any intended dental treatment to restore or improve one’s smile appearance. And our best-selling cosmetic dentistry product in the clinic is none other than the popular COMPOSITE VENEERS.

So what are composite veneers then? You would probably have that question mingling your mind at this point of time right?

Composite veneers, often called direct veneers, chair side veneers.  Each veneer is made by the dentist using tooth colored composite directly onto the teeth. Composite veneers are made entirely by the dentist. It is an art process and it requires knowledge of the details of tooth shapes, morphology and translucency and the principles of smile design to pull off a natural looking result.  This is one area that really pays to have an experienced dentist. Composite veneers can make teeth whiter by choosing a whiter shade of the composite.  They can also make smiles wider and correct some chipping, tooth wear, crowding and spacing.  And they typically cost a third as much as porcelain veneers.

The drawbacks of composite veneers is that it is much more difficult to make extreme changes to the smile.  If the teeth are more crowded or have moderate or severe wear and bite changes, there are more benefits to using porcelain veneers.  Composite veneers have a higher chance of getting small chips and staining.  While the composite materials are strong, they are not as strong as porcelain.  The good news is that these situation can in most cases be repaired easily.  Composite veneers will slowly darken over the years and the only way to lighten the veneer is to replace it.  Composite also looses its polish quicker, but they can be repolished at cleanings.  The lifespan of composite veneers is 7-10 years.

Below are 2 of my patients whose smiles were corrected with composite veneers.

Drop a line at atil@story.drfauziah.com if you are interested.