Chipped Tooth? Questions About Using Veneers To Fix It

If you're currently dealing with a tooth that has a noticeable chip in it, it's possible that dental veneers could be the solution to your problems. Dental veneers are much like artificial fingernails, which are attached to the surface to hide the flaws underneath. They can work great to fix various cosmetic problems with your teeth, including chips. Here are some questions you might have about using veneers to fix this problem.

Can Veneers Be Installed Over Chipped Teeth?

If you happen to have a tooth with a small portion of it missing, dental veneers will be a great option to fix this problem. Veneers need some sort of surface for the porcelain shell to stick to, so there must be a big enough part of the natural tooth still there for it to work. That portion of the tooth must also be healthy, since a tooth on the verge of crumbling will not be able to hold the veneer for very long. A dentist will always evaluate the tooth in order to determine if it's a good candidate for receiving a dental veneers, so you do not have to worry about making that decision.

Will The Damaged Tooth Need Repair Prior To Receiving Veneers?

It's possible that the dentist will need to build up a portion of the tooth that is missing before they can attach dental veneers to the surface. This is done if the dentist is worried about there not being enough surface area for the veneer to work as is. They can install a cap on the tooth to give it more surface area, or use dental bonding to fill in the places of the tooth that need more support. If there is a cavity on any surface of the tooth, the dentist will remove the decay and fill in the tooth with dental filling material.

Know that veneers are for cosmetic purposes only. It is not going to give your tooth additional strength if it is already in a weakened state. Repair will be necessary to get the tooth to a point where you can chew with it before a veneer is placed on the surface.

Will The Dentist Use Porcelain Or Composite Material For Veneers?

There are reasons for using porcelain and composite material for veneers. However, you'll find that composite material is thicker, and is isn't translucent at all, which works better for chips where there may not be a portion of the natural tooth behind the veneer.

Speak to your cosmetic dentist for more info about using veneers to hide chipped teeth.

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