What types of dental veneers are there?

There are several types of veneers, made of different materials with different characteristics and particularities, with their advantages and disadvantages.

When choosing the material, it is always important to analyze the particular clinical situation, and to see where we are starting from and what we can achieve according to the material. The types of veneers that exist are as follows:

Ceramic Veneers

Also known as porcelain veneers. They are ceramic and adhesive restorations of great strength and durability. They can be made of different types of ceramics:

Feldspathic ceramic veneers

They have the best aesthetic characteristics, due to their great translucency and optical properties, they mimic the color and texture of the tooth, obtaining imperceptible results.
Depending on the clinical case, they can be made with minimum thicknesses and thus avoid the grinding of the teeth.

They are produced in a dental laboratory based on a model of your teeth by a dental ceramist.

Advantages of Feldspathic Ceramic Veneers:

Aesthetics: Appearance similar to dental enamel, it mimics.
Durability: Very durable with proper care and maintenance.
Resistance: They are more resistant to staining by food or beverages, and also to wear and tear.

Ultrathin veneers

They have the particularity of having a minimum thickness of 0.3 mm, similar to that of a contact lens.
Thanks to their minimal thickness, they only require a minimum amount of dental grinding to achieve natural and esthetic results.
They have a very natural result, unnoticeable even at short distances.

Veneers without milling

Veneers without grinding are placed on the tooth without modifying its anatomy in any way, i.e. without reducing the natural enamel volume. This is because the veneer increases the thickness of the tooth. In the case of a person with slightly outward facing teeth, we would be adding an extra layer, so the result may not be the desired one.

If the teeth are slightly inward and the objective is to widen the smile, we can adhere the veneer without acting on the enamel.

Lithium Disilicate Veneers

This material is the result of the alchemy between glass and ceramics, making it a highly resistant and flexible material.
If we combine its resistance with its esthetic characteristics, we obtain a versatile material for dental prostheses, crowns, bridges and, of course, veneers.

Lithium Disilicate Advantages

Aesthetics: It blends in perfectly with the tooth surface.
Resistance: Great mechanical properties, allowing adequate aesthetics and function.
Durability: Very durable over the years.
Handling: Easy handling by the laboratory, flexible material, with very good esthetic results, high cementation capacity to the dental surface.

Zirconium veneers

They are made of zirconium oxide, a ceramic material, very resistant, durable and natural looking.
They withstand high masticatory forces without damage or breakage.

How do I know if I have the wrong veneers?

Composite Veneers

They are made with an acrylic resin, with very good aesthetic and resistance characteristics.

These resins have various shades, so we can choose the colors that most closely resemble your teeth to give naturalness, or lighter tones in case you prefer whiter teeth.

Unlike porcelain veneers, this type of veneers are made by the dentist directly on your teeth.

They are more economical than ceramic veneers, but a major disadvantage is that they do not offer great resistance to staining and color changes, i.e., the maintenance of this type of veneers is higher than ceramic veneers.

Advantages of composite veneers

Good aesthetic properties.
They are placed in the same visit.
Lower price.
Good resistance.
Conservative treatment.

Related Veneers

What are the best veneers?

We have to evaluate several factors when choosing the restorative material.

The patient’s dental health status. It is always necessary to treat pre-existing pathologies before beginning esthetic treatment.
The patient’s budget. The cost of the treatment varies according to the material selected.
Durability expectations . Some materials have more durability than others.
Aesthetic objectives .