Most of us have some crooked teeth, a little discoloration, a chip or two, maybe a gap or even a missing tooth. Basically, 90% or more of us could really use a complete dental makeover and it is so expensive and so outrageous a concept that it really never crosses our mind as it is disregarded as an impossibility. That is now changing as dental porcelain veneers are quickly becoming cheaper and a great, quick alternative with massive life altering results.

It used to be that for people with crooked and bad teeth they either had to have extensive dental surgery, braces and orthodontics (which will not help as much in adults as it does in youth), or resort to going through life without smiling or hiding their teeth and having a much lower self esteem.

Dental surgery, braces and orthodontics are quite expensive and much of it is not covered under insurance plans. For less money, one can now have thin porcelain veneers applied to their teeth and this can instantly correct misaligned and crooked teeth. It can also whiten the frontal 16 to 20 teeth (what is usually treated) and make them look like a stars mouth with a perfect or near perfect smile.

Basically what a dentist or oral surgeon will do for cosmetic porcelain veneers is they will first do a thorough and deep cleaning of your teeth. After this they will use a grinding or abrasion tool and effectively remove about 1 to 2 mm of surface area on your teeth which are to receive the veneers (the back teeth will not usually be veneered as no one can see them when you talk or smile).

After this, and not before, they will make impressions of your teeth. There are several different methods and kits by different manufacturers used to do this but the results are the same. These impressions will be used to make the veneers. The reason for the grinding down of the surface of the teeth is to provide a better bonding surface and to provide room for correction of crooked or misaligned teeth.

The dentist or oral surgeon does not make the actual veneers. They are outsourced to medical companies that specifically specialize in dental veneers. It is quite interesting to note that the porcelain dental veneers are actually quite fragile until installed and properly bonded or cemented to the teeth. Then they are very strong and are pretty much as strong or even stronger than your original teeth.

It is far less often that a dental veneer gets broken or chipped than as with real teeth. So, once you have them installed you can pretty much enjoy your new smile and look without a whole lot of worries.