Just like "cosmetic bonding" was popular in the 1980's, "tooth veneers" enjoyed a peak in popularity in the 1990's.  The primary goal behind the development of veneers was to provide patients with a  non-metallic cosmetic restoration, while keeping the "back side" of the tooth to add strength to the full width of the laminated veneer.  Back in those days,  the only type of full crown (or cap) that was metal free was the relatively weak aluminous porcelain crown.

Now that there are at least two technologies lending high strength to all-porcelain crowns, the need for veneers has diminished.  Because truly aesthetic veneers require reduction of at least 2/3rds of the tooth, anyway, the new, high strength full coverage metal-free crowns are more frequently the restorations of choice.

There are, however, circumstances in which the porcelain laminate veneer is the preferred restoration, and we provide extremely high quality Empress veneers for such instances.

However, since the cost of veneers and crowns are almost identical, and crowns offer much more strength and flexibility in design, most patients opt for full coverage.

This diagram demonstrates how much tooth structure must be removed to create a veneer.  This is not that much less reduction than is needed for a full crown.