The two most popular choices for improving the appearance of your teeth are traditional porcelain veneers and Lumineers. Both types of veneers are made of thin, durable porcelain materials that are designed for your specific needs and affixed to the fronts of your own teeth. Veneers were created to provide cosmetic dentistry patients with the opportunity to have a smile they can be proud to show off.

Which type of veneers is right for you is determined by a few different factors such as:

· Your dental history

· Your general health

· Your own expectations

· Your cosmetic dentist's recommendations

How Veneers are Made

Veneers are designed to be bonded to the front of a patient's tooth. They are made of stain, chemical and erosion-resistant materials that make up the veneer and become a permanent fixture on the front of a tooth. Many veneers are made of a combination of polymer and other vitreous materials such as ceramic and glass.

The manufacturing of veneers is designed so that your cosmetic dentist or the dental lab he/she works with can blend color pigments in order to match the color of your natural tooth enamel, or the color you choose for your new veneers.

One method of veneer manufacturing employs the heating and pressing of ceramic powder to form the veneer. The correct size and shape are formed with the use of an impression of the patient's prepared tooth surface and a milling machine. After the final heating is performed, the external surface of the veneer is given its final shape. This shape is designed to be an exact match of the natural tooth's impression.

Veneers can also be manufactured from small blocks of ceramic clay that are shaped to perfectly fit over the patient's tooth. With the use of CEREC (Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramics) technology the dentist can use computer software to design the veneers, then send the information to the machine's milling unit where the final veneer is shaped.

Traditional Veneer Manufacturing

Traditional porcelain veneers, also called dental porcelain laminates, are shells of porcelain that are wafer-thin. They are permanently bonded to your teeth to hide such problems as:

· Discoloration

· Misalignment

· Wear

· Chips

· Cracks

· Breaks

Veneer manufacturing is designed to create a material that is non-porous (will not stain), non-abrasive (will not wear down other teeth) and very resilient. Once the porcelain veneer is bonded to the front of a tooth, it becomes extremely durable and strong.

Lumineers Manufacturing

Lumineers differ from traditional porcelain veneers in the way they are manufactured, as well as, the way they are placed. Lumineers are manufactured with Cerinate porcelain material and are designed to be no thicker than a contact lens. They are also placed over existing teeth without your cosmetic dentist having to remove any of your natural tooth's structure.

Lumineers are designed to last nearly 20 years without needing to be repaired or replaced and include a five year warranty. They are designed with the ability to be removed without damage to your natural teeth. Lumineers match your own natural tooth enamel so closely, you won't be able to tell that your teeth ever looked any different.

Both traditional veneers and Lumineers are the best and most convenient solution for restoring damaged or defective teeth.