Porcelain Veneers

The porcelain veneer is a thin piece of ceramic which is custom made to be bonded to the surface of natural teeth. On your first appointment the teeth will be prepared to provide space for the veneering material. This usually requires thinning them down the thickness of a fingernail.

Molds are then made of your prepared teeth. When the patient leaves this appointment their teeth will be slightly thinner and smaller. We generally do not place temporary restorations on these preparations. Some sensitivity after this appointment is common, particularly to hot and cold.

On the following appointment, usually two to four weeks later, the veneers, which were fabricated by our dental laboratory, are tried on. If they fit to our satisfaction, and the patient likes their appearance we will cement them in place on to the prepared teeth.

On the following appointment the edges of these restorations are polished and any final adjustments are made to the bite. Our goal is to provide the patient with slightly whiter and more attractive teeth.Porcelain veneers, though more durable than the directly placed plastic veneers, have some limitations. It is impossible to determine their exact shade and final appearance.

In addition, the cements used to attach them are new and it is not known exactly how long they will last. Breakage is a possibility with any restoration, particularly those made of brittle materials, like porcelain.

Care should be taken not to place excessive force on those teeth treated with porcelain veneers. It is also possible the gum tissues may be irritated from the veneers themselves or from the cements used to bond them. Generally, this can be controlled with conscientious home care.

Esthetics is a very personal matter and we will do our best to meet the patients expectations. However, it must be remembered any change in ones appearance may take some time to become accustomed to.

However, even with these limitations, porcelain veneers are the preferred mode of treatment for many patients.