Porcelain veneers are thin sheets of porcelain that can be applied over your teeth to help with a range of issues. This cosmetic dental procedure can offer benefits to people in numerous situations. Here are five signs you might want to talk with a cosmetic dentist about veneers.

1. Your Teeth Are Worn Down. 

Over time, your teeth can wear down and change shape slightly. In some people, this can happen from regular use, but in other people, the teeth wear down due to grinding. If your teeth have lost some of their natural shape, your dentist can apply veneers to make your teeth look whole again.

2. Your Teeth Are Uneven

As indicated in the above example, veneers can be cut and shaped in special ways to change the overall shape of your teeth, and you can also use veneers to make uneven teeth look more even. For instance, if one tooth is shorter than the one next to it, your cosmetic dentist can apply a veneer to the shorter tooth to change its shape. If one tooth appears to be sticking out, your dentist may even be able to apply veneers to surrounding teeth to make everything look more even.

3. You Have Chips or Cracks in Your Teeth

Porcelain veneers can also be cut very thinly and used to cover up chips or cracks in your teeth. In this situation, the veneer also helps to protect the teeth. If the enamel is cracked, the veneer helps to make a protective coating over your teeth, and in this situation, the veneer is more than just a cosmetic treatment. It can also help to protect your teeth from cavities. 

4. You Have Small Gaps Between Your Teeth

When you have gaps between your teeth, you can use orthodontics such as braces or aligners to shift the teeth into another spot to eliminate the gaps, but that can be time consuming and expensive. With very small gaps, veneers can be a faster and potentially more affordable solution. Your dentist simply shapes the veneers so that they make your teeth look a little larger, so the gap essentially disappears.

5. You Don't Want Resin Veneers

Finally, while all the above issues are signs that you want veneers in general, you may want porcelain veneers in particular because they are not made of resin. Porcelain tends to resist staining more effectively than resin. To learn more, contact a cosmetic dentist to see if porcelain veneers are right for you.