Why Porcelain Veneers?

There are a number of ways to improve unsightly teeth. You can, of course, replace them with dental implants — but not if they’re still viable. You can crown them: however, you’ll have to significantly reduce their structure for the crowns to fit over them.

There is another less invasive option for teeth with mild to moderate imperfections — you can cover them with porcelain veneers. As the name implies, a veneer is a thin covering of dental porcelain bonded to the outside surface of a tooth. They literally put a “new face” on chipped, stained or slightly gapped teeth.

You’ll first need a dental examination to ensure your teeth are reasonably healthy and that you don’t have any significant dental problems that could interfere with the veneers. We can then design your veneers’ shape and color to achieve the look you desire. We can also create a temporary “trial smile” with acrylic replicas of your proposed veneers to give you a realistic impression of your future smile.

The next step is the possibility the teeth need to be prepared for the veneers. Although quite thin, veneers can still make the teeth look larger or bulky. To compensate, we remove some of the tooth enamel. Although much less than for a crown, this alteration is still permanent: your teeth will need some form of restoration from now on. There are also “no-prep” veneers, which require no tooth surface reduction.  Ask us if this is an option.

We then make an impression of the teeth, which with other information will guide a technician at a dental laboratory to manually create your new veneers. This can take several weeks and requires a high degree of artistry to produce a custom product that will match your teeth.

Once they’ve arrived, we’ll use a permanent bonding process to precisely attach them to your teeth.  It will then be up to you to care for your veneers, especially not biting down on anything hard that could chip or crack them. You should also maintain regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene to keep your smile as bright and attractive as possible.

Although small in size, veneers can make a big impression. They can restore the smile you once had — or give you the look you’ve always wanted.

If you would like more information on porcelain veneers, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Porcelain Veneers: Strength & Beauty as Never Before.”