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Before and After

The primary goal in dentistry is to restore teeth to their normal form, beauty, and proper function.  Dentists use porcelain veneer crowns to restore teeth that have been disfigured by extensive decay, breakage, abrasion (wearing), imperfect development, or discoloration.  Sometimes they are even used to correct poor alignment of the teeth.

Shades
 
Because no two shades are exactly alike, the selection of color or shade is an important consideration.  Dentists now realize that it's the imperfections that make teeth look normal.  That's why they take care in matching the texture, color, and shape of the crown to its neighboring teeth.
 
Color comes from light.  The human eye is capable of seeing over a million different shades of colors.  The selection of the most harmonious shade calls for both skill and judgment.  To match the shade as closely as possible, the dentist takes into consideration factors such as the shade of your adjacent teeth, stains, grooves, enamel thickness, complexion tones, and age.
 
Because dental porcelain is color-stable, porcelain veneer crowns will not change color with time.  Unfortunately, this is not true of acrylics (plastics).  Acrylic is not normally used for restorative jackets because of its discolors and lacks the durability of porcelain.
 
The photograph below shows an acrylic faced crown (A) and a porcelain crown (B).  They were placed the same day, nine years before this picture was taken.  Notice that the porcelain crown (B) has not discolored.