Any dentist will tell you that their work can make an enormous impact on the lives of their patients, but that communicating that to patients who haven’t experienced it can sometimes be difficult. When it comes to veneers, however, the results speak for themselves.

Veneers have been improving how people look and feel for nearly a century, but they haven’t always been the same as they are today. If you want to learn more about how they’ve changed, here’s a brief history of this cosmetic dental treatment.

Origins On the Silver Screen

Veneers were first invented in the 1920s, when the culture of celebrity was reaching new heights. Dr. Charles Pincus was a dentist who worked primarily with Hollywood celebrities, and who was looking for a way to give his clients a more beautiful smile.

He settled on a thin sheet of acrylic that could be adhered to the front of the teeth. While they produced fairly good results, these veneers were easily damaged and couldn’t be adhered to the teeth for longer than a few hours at a time.

Still, in the 30s and 40s veneers became increasingly popular among the Hollywood elite, until…

Etched into History

In the late 1950s, researcher Dr. Michael Buonocore developed etching, the process of applying a chemical to the teeth that could change their texture. By using a mild acid, he found that one could create a much more stable surface to adhere to.

This research followed developments of the previous decades which found that porcelain and composite were much stronger than acrylic, and make for better dental restorations. However, even with these achievements, veneers weren’t yet ready for the mainstream.

The Final Piece

It wasn’t until the late 1980s that dentists found a method of attaching veneers to the teeth that made it possible to use them as a long-term prosthetic. By using hydrochloric acid as an etching agent, dentists were able to create a surface suitable for long-term adhesion.

This brings us to today, when veneers are one of the most popular and celebrated forms of cosmetic dentistry. And the research hasn’t stopped—veneers get better year after year, which means that today’s patients are getting the absolute best cosmetics that dentistry has ever offered!

About Our Practice

At Zahner Dental, we pride ourselves on being able to combine personal, friendly customer service with cutting-edge dentistry to give our patients the highest level of dental care possible. Our team has been serving Ellington for almost 40 years, and in that time we’ve perfected the balance between warmth and clinical expertise. Come to our office, and you’ll see what has kept us in business all these years.

If you have any questions about veneers, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (860) 870-9031.