Read this answer carefully to avoid being unsure about the type of dental treatment you’re receiving, as it could cost you your teeth. Teeth do not need to be shaved for veneers. No type of veneer exists that requires tooth shaving to the point where teeth are reduced stumps or pegs in the gum – this level of reduction is only associated with dental crowns.
While veneers do not require the tooth to be shaved, they do require a slight etching of the tooth’s enamel to securely bond the tooth (because veneers are like thin contact lenses for teeth).
Here, we only remove a small portion; when we say small, we mean tiny (only around 0.3 mm-0.5 mm of the tooth’s enamel), typically the same thickness as the veneer being placed.
However, there is an exception in more modern types of veneers, like composite veneers, which are not as long-lasting but are non-invasive and require no tooth or enamel removal.
Enamel is the tooth’s outer layer, which is white and hard (actually the hardest substance in your body – stronger than your bones) as it protects the inner layers of your tooth, like the dentin and pulp, from damage.
Enamel cannot regrow or be replaced, so porcelain veneers can only be considered a permanent and minimally invasive procedure.
Composite veneers are no-prep veneers, which means they require no tooth preparation to be placed on your teeth – this is because the dentist directly sculpts a composite material on top of your tooth, which makes them thicker than porcelain veneers. But they’re still natural-looking.
Modern brands of porcelain veneers, such as Lumineers, Durathin, Vivaneers, Emax, and Ultrathin, are very thin veneers that require minimal or no preparation of the underlying tooth because they’re so sleek.
Typically the most expensive veneers, these no-prep porcelain alternatives offer the most natural-looking makeover.
