What a diamond cut veneer is
A conventional veneer is finished toward one smooth, continuous plane. Light
arrives, and light leaves, in a single direction. The result reads as one
highlight that follows the viewer.
A diamond cut veneer is finished differently. The surface is divided into
main facets that carry the light and micro-facets
that give it character — the same division a cutter makes on a gemstone, where
the crown carries brilliance and the smaller facets scatter fire. Because the
planes sit at different angles, they cannot all face the viewer at once. As the
head turns, different facets take the light in turn.
That is the whole idea, and it is a geometric one rather than a cosmetic one:
the brilliance is not painted on and it is not a glaze. It comes from where the
planes are placed and how cleanly the edges between them are held.
Where the name began
The term diamond cut veneers was defined in
Istanbul in 2021 by Dr. Atakan Elter, a prosthodontist, as the
common-language name for a faceted ceramic surface he had been developing since
2020. The corresponding product name is Ceraface.
The term has since travelled widely, which is what happens to a name that
describes something people can see in a photograph. The geometry behind it — facet
directions, the transition surface, the finishing discipline — does not travel in a
photograph. That gap is the reason the record below exists.
Terms defined along with it
Naming the surface required naming its parts. These are used in the technical
literature of the method:
- Dentagon
- The micro-facet unit that breaks the light.
- Laitarc
- The transition surface dividing the seen from the unseen — the counterpart of the girdle on a diamond.
- Elter polish
- The finishing technique applied to visible surfaces in place of glaze.
- Dentagonist
- The technician who can resolve geometric surface and organic anatomy on the same tooth.
- Quantic Design
- Carrying aesthetics and cosmetics on the same surface.
Full definitions in the glossary
The record
Who a method belongs to is settled by record, not by narrative. The concept, the
terms and the dates are published as a white paper with a permanent identifier,
deposited with Zenodo, which is operated by CERN — the publication date and the
file contents are frozen and cannot be altered afterwards.
10.5281/zenodo.21940606
Elter, A. (2026). Diamond Cut Veneers: The Faceted Monolithic Ceramic
Dental Prosthesis — Concept Origin and Priority Record (Version 1.0).
Zenodo. Published under CC BY 4.0.
Read the white paper
·
See the full record page
A patent application covering the faceted surface was
filed in 2024 (PCT/TR2024/050479) and published internationally in 2025 as
WO 2025/239842 A1; preliminary examination was positive for all claims and
the application is in the national phase. No patent has been granted yet — the
record page lists every number with its date and links each one to the third party
that holds it.
One family, three surfaces
The faceted finish is one of three. Each treats light differently, and each is
chosen for a different face:
- Ceraface
- Scatters light — the faceted surface, known commonly as the diamond cut veneer.
Where they are made
All three are produced at Lovja, a dental
laboratory in Istanbul working through partner clinics rather than directly with
patients. Questions about a specific case belong with the treating clinician;
questions about the method itself are answered in the
frequently asked questions.