Generally, restorative veneers (Verblendschalen in German) and veneers for aesthetics are the two branches of dentistry that deal with these products. This product is basically a layer of resin cement (usually made from porcelain and a number of other substances) that can be brushed onto the tooth to restore part of it or to cover up some blemishes.
The veneer is usually applied by a dental technician and it becomes bonded to the tooth by using a resin cement such as Panavia. Another option is to mix up the base ingredients on the spot in the dentist’s office (usually done by a technician as well) and fabricate the necessary veneer on the spot.
Restorative veneers
Veneers of course started out as a restorative method for people who have suffered trauma to their teeth that is making it difficult to eat hot and cold foods. After the tooth enamel has fallen off for any reason, that part of the tooth becomes very sensitive. Eating ice cream or drinking hot coffee can cause a sharp pain in that tooth as the nerves below the enamel are often left exposed. This constant pain can have other effects — since the enamel is no longer protecting part of the tooth, it is easy for sugar to get lodged in there and start the process of tooth decay. Thus, with frequent visits to the dentist, these situations can be noted and dealt with early on so that they do not multiply into a full-blown threat to health. A dentist will be able to arrange early on for veneers to be put onto your teeth if you are in this situation.
Aesthetic veneers
But as with plastic surgery (which was initially thought of as a way to help people who had been disfigured in accidents), veneers soon became used for aesthetic reasons as well. For instance, if you have a discoloration on your tooth or some other genetic marker (some people have a pin-sized hole going through their teeth) this can be hidden by using veneers. In this case, the dentistry being applied isn’t for true medical reasons, it is just to change something that the patient wants. In this sense then the patient becomes a customer and the service being purchased are the veneers.
Medical science advances
There have been a lot of advances in medical science, especially in the field of veneers. In the past, a plastic substance was used and there were sometimes problems with getting it to be the same color as the teeth, or it having a different reaction than teeth would to certain substances and further discoloration became a problem. But nowadays, the veneers are made from resin cement and porcelain, which work much the same as tooth enamel.
There are many ways you can get veneers, but definitely the first thing you should do if you are interested is to consult your dentist. Aesthetic veneers and veneers for restoration are therefore the two major branches of dentistry concerned with this product.
