Cosmetic Veneers: Basic Concepts

Beauty of smile and aesthetics of anterior teeth are considered synonymous. Any change in morphology or colour in relation to anterior teeth invites careful intervention of prosthodontic treatment. In earlier days, the treatment of beautification involved invasive procedures like crowns. However, this approach is undoubtedly the most invasive, requiring removal of large amount of sound tooth structure. With the increase in public demand for the treatment of unaesthetic anterior teeth, awareness on preserving the biology of the tooth has also increased and hence minimally invasive esthetic procedures have gained momentum. In this context, veneer as a permanent esthetic restoration overcomes the limitations of the other treatment modalities like bleaching, microabrasion, recontouring etc.