You have a problem with your teeth. Functionally, there's nothing wrong with them — but it's another story when you look in the mirror: discoloration, wearing or maybe a slight gap between them.

Fortunately, you don't have to settle for a smile you're not happy with. Less costly than crowns or bridgework, porcelain veneers can nonetheless correct many mild to moderate cosmetic problems with teeth and transform them into an attractive smile.

Like the name implies, a veneer is made of thin layers of dental material custom-designed and bonded to the outside of a tooth. Veneers can correct problems with color, tooth shape and size, and mild misalignments or spacing. It's akin to installing new siding on a house.

To begin your journey with veneers, we must first examine your teeth to fully assess your dental needs and ensure you have no issues that could prevent applying them. Then, we prepare your teeth: although not to the extent as for a crown or bridge, we must remove a small amount of tooth material so the veneer will appear natural and not bulky.

We then make an impression mold of your prepared teeth that a dental technician will use to create your veneers. During this process they build up layer after layer of liquid porcelain until they achieve the right thickness, shape and color to match your teeth.

In the meantime, we can fit you with a temporary set of veneers made of acrylic plastic so you can chew, speak and smile normally. These provisional veneers also give you and your friends and family a chance to see what your new smile will look like.

When your veneers are ready, we'll create micro-etches in your teeth that will help keep the veneer secure after we've bonded them. Once bonded, the veneer will feel like an inseparable part of the tooth and look it too. No one except you and us need know you're wearing veneers.

If you take care of them — keeping up daily hygiene habits, not biting into hard surfaces, and visiting us regularly for checkups — your veneers can last for many years. And so will that beautiful, new smile.

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.”

Porcelain veneers are excellent for restoring otherwise sound teeth that are stained, chipped or slightly misaligned. But the question for many is, are they long-lasting?

Just as the term is used in building construction, a dental veneer is a thin covering of material that’s bonded to the outside of a tooth to conceal blemishes. Very thin layers of dental porcelain (a form of hardened glass colored to match a patient’s natural teeth) are created by a dental lab technician to achieve the preferred shape and size of the patient’s tooth. Unlike crowns or other restorations, veneers require very little tooth preparation to accommodate them.

As to their longevity: if cared for properly, a veneer could last for twenty years or more. While the veneer itself isn’t subject to the effects of dental disease, the tooth and the gums that support it are. Shrinking gum tissues as a result of periodontal (gum) disease, for example, could have a negative effect on the veneered tooth and subsequently the veneer. It’s important, then, that you properly practice daily brushing and flossing, along with keeping up regular office cleanings and checkups.

There’s one other important consideration: while porcelain veneers can withstand normal biting forces, if they’re subjected beyond their tolerance they could shatter. You should be careful not to subject your veneered teeth to an abnormal biting force, such as biting down on an extremely hard object. If you tend to grind your teeth at night, wearing a night guard can minimize the force created from the grinding.

It’s possible to repair and re-bond a loose or slightly chipped veneer. In some cases, though, severe damage may require a replacement. Still, by using common sense about what you bite down on and taking proper care of your teeth and gums, you can minimize the chances of damage and enjoy many years of a more attractive smile.

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: How Long will Your Porcelain Veneers Last?.”

For over three decades, veneers have helped mask dental imperfections like chipping, staining or gaps and improve the appearance of millions of teeth. As the name implies, this thin layer of porcelain covers a tooth's visible surface and accurately mimics the texture, color and translucence of natural teeth.

Veneers could be just the solution you need for a more attractive smile. But before you begin treatment, be sure you have these 3 essentials in place to ensure a successful outcome.

True expectations. While the transformation of a tooth's appearance with a veneer can be astounding, veneers in general do have their limitations. You need an adequate amount of the tooth's structure present for a veneer to properly adhere — if not, you may need to consider a porcelain crown instead. Likewise, gaps and other misalignments may be too great for a veneer to cover: in that case, you should consider orthodontics. A thorough examination beforehand will determine if veneers are the best option for you.

An artisan team. Every veneer is custom made to match an individual patient's tooth shape and color, handcrafted by a skilled dental technician. There's also an art to the dentist preparing the tooth beforehand and then properly positioning the veneer for bonding to achieve the most attractive result. Be sure, then, that your veneer "team" comes highly recommended by others.

The best materials. The first porcelains were powdered glass ceramics mixed with water to form a paste. Technicians shaped the paste in successive layers and as it oven-cured it took on the beautiful translucence of natural teeth. Unfortunately, this type of porcelain could be brittle and prone to shattering when subjected to heavy biting forces. In recent years, though, we've begun to use ceramics reinforced with other materials like Leucite for added strength. Today, the materials dentists use have much better durability.

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.”

If you would like to improve the appearance of your smile, porcelain laminate veneers can whiten, brighten and even help straighten your teeth! Made of a thin layer of dental ceramic, porcelain veneers are physically bonded directly to the surface of your teeth, immediately enhancing your smile.

If you are considering a smile makeover, here are some other facts about porcelain laminate veneers that you might find interesting:

• Dental porcelain is used to create veneers that mimic natural tooth enamel perfectly. They require the removal of a minimal amount of surface enamel before application — about 0.5 millimeters to be exact. Because of this reduction, porcelain laminates are considered to be an irreversible treatment. The end results are high-strength, durable, and natural looking translucent tooth-like restorations.
• Fabricating a set of porcelain laminate veneers typically takes about a week, although times can vary. We will work closely with you and our dental laboratory technician to determine the exact color, shade and brightness that will best match your expectations for a new smile.
• Porcelain laminate veneers are the best restorative option if you have teeth that are in good position and alignment. They are also an excellent solution if you have small gaps between your teeth, or if your teeth are asymmetrically shaped or discolored. Porcelain laminate veneers cannot correct poor tooth position, bite relations or a poor profile. In these cases, orthodontic treatment may be necessary first.
• Porcelain laminate veneers can last anywhere from 7 to 20 years especially if the teeth they are bonded to don't undergo any major changes like gum line shrinkage, which may expose the root surfaces of the teeth.
• Due to their glass-like structure porcelain veneers can break. You should avoid doing things that might stress them, like opening pistachio nuts with your teeth or eating candy apples.

If you would like to discuss improving your smile with us using these impeccable restorations, please call our office today to schedule a consultation. To learn more about porcelain laminate veneers, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Smile Design Enhanced With Porcelain Veneers.”

While we have gained recognition for our role in creating gorgeous smiles with porcelain veneers, the often overlooked or unknown key contributors in this process are the dental laboratory technicians. These behind-the-scenes artists are the trained professionals in the art of using dental porcelain to hand-craft veneers and crowns into near exact replicas of natural teeth in shine, opacity, translucence and shape.

Through the use of precise molds and excellent communication skills, we share detailed information with the laboratory technician to create veneers or crowns specifically for enhancing and improving your smile. In fact, communication must be so exact that it often demands correct lighting, cameras and computers to produce optimal results. This process also requires a variety of colors, shapes and translucency, created so that once we cement them into place, they appear as beautiful natural teeth. If your veneers are part of a smile restoration or makeover and you are getting them for several front teeth, the end results are typically brighter and whiter than your natural teeth. However, they must blend with surrounding teeth if those teeth are not also receiving veneers. So it is often recommended to have your natural teeth whitened before the veneers are replaced.

Good dental porcelains in the right hands can make for spectacular tooth imitations by mimicking tooth enamel perfectly. And now that you have these facts, you begin to understand all of the expertise, artistry, and the technology required by laboratory technicians to produce the most dazzling porcelain veneers.

To learn more about porcelain veneers, continue reading the Dear Doctor article, “Smile Design Enhanced With Porcelain Veneers.” Or if you are ready to see what cosmetic dentistry can do for you, contact us to schedule a consultation.