Veneers.
A veneer is the most conservative way to change the appearance of an anterior tooth, and the most dependent on preparation discipline and a reliable bond. Tick Veneer under Type of Crown.
What a veneer solves
Shade that will not respond to bleaching, minor alignment discrepancies, worn or chipped incisal edges, diastemas, and teeth whose shape or proportion the patient dislikes.
What it does not solve is a tooth that has lost substantial structure. Where the facial surface is heavily restored, where the incisal edge is largely missing, or where the tooth is endodontically treated and discoloured through, a veneer is being asked to carry load and mask a substrate it is not suited to.
The honest assessment is how much sound enamel remains facially. That single question determines whether a veneer is the right restoration.
Enamel is what makes it work
Bonding to enamel is considerably more reliable and more durable than bonding to dentine. A veneer preparation that stays within enamel gives the restoration a bond that will hold for decades; one that exposes substantial dentine, particularly at the margins, does not.
Enamel thickness on a facial surface is limited, and it thins toward the cervical. Aggressive reduction in pursuit of space for the ceramic can eliminate exactly the substrate the restoration depends on.
Where the required change cannot be achieved within enamel, the more honest options are orthodontic repositioning first, or a full-coverage restoration.
Preparation and reduction
Facial reduction is the dimension that decides the result. Under-reduced, the veneer is either overcontoured — pushing the labial profile out and altering the lip — or too thin to develop any internal character.
Depth cuts against a silicone index made from a diagnostic wax-up are the reliable method, because they reference the intended final contour rather than the existing tooth. Preparing freehand and judging by eye is where most anterior compromises originate.
Incisal design — window, feathered edge or overlap — should be decided deliberately and stated. See preparation guides.
Material
Lithium disilicate is the usual choice, offering the best combination of strength and optical performance and pressing or milling well in thin section. Empress is more translucent and chameleons better, which suits very thin veneers in light function.
Composite laminates are a conservative and repairable alternative where a definitive decision is being deferred or the patient's expectations may change.
All three are bonded, so all three need a field that can be isolated.
Shade and the substrate
A veneer is thin and translucent, so the preparation shows through it. On a discoloured or post-endodontic tooth, the underlying colour will influence the result no matter how carefully the surface shade was matched.
Record the preparation shade with a stump guide or photograph the prepared tooth. Where the substrate is dark, the technician needs to know before selecting the ingot opacity — afterwards, the remaining options are compromises.
Try in before glazing on demanding cases, and assess hydrated in natural lip position. Anterior shade matching sets out the sequence.
What to put on the prescription
Tick Veneer, name the material, and mark the teeth on the design chart. Give the shade with the guide used and the preparation shade.
State the incisal design and whether you want the contralateral matched or the pair established together. Send photographs including the adjacent teeth — internal character is what makes a veneer read as natural, and no written description carries it.
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