Dental veneers are a cosmetic dental procedure, which means that they are mostly used to improve the appearance of your teeth, giving you a brighter smile. Veneers are usually applied to the top front six to eight teeth for aesthetics purposes. 

Types of Dental Veneers

Typically, the application of dental veneers requires intensive tooth preparation by removing some of the tooth enamel to create room to attach the veneer. But the amount of material removed depends on the type of veneers used as follows: 

• Porcelain veneers measure about 0.5 mm in thickness. Porcelain veneers require the tooth to be prepared before placement. This involves grinding down the tooth structure to remove a thin layer of tooth enamel, after which impressions are taken for the fabrication of your custom veneers in a dental lab. Temporary veneers are fitted until the permanent ones are ready. 
• Lumineers and Vivaneers don’t require any tooth preparation. They measure about 0.3 mm in thickness. As non-prep veneers, they’re directly bonded to the front surface of the concerned teeth.
• Composite resin veneers are also thinner at 0.3 mm in thickness. They also don’t require any tooth preparation before placement and are referred to as no-prep veneers. 

No-prep veneers are easier to place. They are less invasive to apply and less time consuming, which makes them a popular choice for correcting minor aesthetic defects. However, adding multiple layers increases the risk of creating a thicker tooth that may create hard to clean spots along the gumline. Traditional veneers are easier to smooth for a better fit and optimal oral hygiene. 

Lumineers may be appropriate if you have thin tooth enamel, though the choice of material will also depend on your budget since Lumineers are more expensive than porcelain and composite veneers. Your dentist in Bakersfield will examine your teeth and thickness of tooth enamel in order to help you decide the best material for your veneers.