Composite Veneers
Composite Veneers are thin layers of a composite material placed over a tooth surface. They allow for complete restoration of partial tooth shape and colour defects. Veneers are fabricated with consideration being given to smile aesthetics, colour of adjacent teeth of patient and the patient’s own preferences.
Indications for veneer use:
- age-related change of teeth colour;
- change of teeth shape, as a result of traumas or dental abrasion;
- discoloured enamel, which cannot be whitened (dental fluorosis, discoloured enamel fractures, tetracycline-stained teeth);
- defective teeth (spinous), teeth with defective enamel;
- gaps between front teeth and diastemas, misfit of teeth cross dimensions occlusion of patient;
- slightly crooked teeth;
- uneven contours of tooth neck, gummy smile;
- numerous defective and discoloured fillings;
- changes of tooth-group specificity (for example a cuspid tooth can be transformed into incisor with the help of a veneer).
Veneers are fabricated from a light-cured composite by your dentist at a single visit. Fabrication technique for direct composite veneers involves insignificant 0.5 mm reduction of the facial tooth surface and layer-by-layer placement of composite. The technique for direct restoration prescribes application of dental dam – a latex sheet which isolates the working area from oral cavity.
The main advantages of composite veneers over dental veneers are cost (on average the cost of composite veneers is two times lower than the cost of their porcelain counterparts) and time necessary for achieving the desired results. Quality and cosmetic excellence depend solely on your dentist’s skills, experience and artistic abilities.
The disadvantages of composite veneers are much more numerous. They are more prone to attrition and abrasion, they require regular polishing due to colour loss of composite materials, they are rather fragile. Additionally, swelling of composite in humid environment of oral cavity may influence adversely oral hygiene and result in gingivitis, bleeding gums, loss of sealant and discolour around restoration edges over time and so on. These disadvantages of composite veneers lead to their losing their aesthetic look and eventually a need for replacement arises. Length of service of composite veneers depends on the level of oral hygiene and their functional load. Patients should also bear in mind that composite materials are destroyed by alcohol-containing substances.
Relative contraindications to cosmetic restoration.
- Bad hygiene of oral cavity
- Periodontal pathology
- Malocclusion
- Bruxism (clenching of the jaw)
- Loss of teeth structure
- Bad habits (nibbling sunflower seeds, biting off thread and fishing line…)
- Occupational hazards (playing wind instruments, aggressive occupations, boxing)