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Dr. Leslie Hsu
Clinical Assistant Professor

VENEERS are thin (usually about 0.5mm thick) pieces of porcelain,

which are bonded to the front surface of the teeth. Veneers can be used to

improve the appearance of teeth by changing their shape and color,

and by masking stains and by replacing small fractured pieces of teeth.

To construct veneers, your dentist will need to remove a small amount

(0.4-0.5mm) from the front surface of the tooth. Your dentist will then

take an impression of your teeth. This is sent to a dental technician, who

makes the veneers. At the next appointment (usually one to two weeks

later), your dentist will carefully clean the surfaces of the teeth and bond

the veneers in place. In some cases, because so little tooth is removed,

no provisional (temporary) restorations are needed between the two

visits. Porcelain is a very hard, wear resistant, non-porous material that

will keep its appearance far longer than tooth colored resins. Porcelain,

however, is brittle and can chip if hit by hard objects. If you have

porcelain veneers, it is advisable to cease habits such as fingernail biting,

pen and pencil chewing, biting into hard nuts or candy.