Porcelain veneers are used when we want to:
- Correct the colour and/or shape of a tooth
- Create permanent white teeth
- Fill a chipped part of a tooth
- close gaps between teeth
- bring a tooth into its correct position in the dental arch.
- Redesign and radically change a patient’s smile.
Porcelain veneers cannot be placed on:
- a tooth that already has a crown
- on a tooth that is missing a large amount of tooth structure
- When the change in position or inclination of the tooth requires a significant amount of tooth structure to be removed.
The benefits of porcelain veneers are that:
- they allow the teeth to look very natural and healthy.
- give an excellent aesthetic result
- require minimal preparation of the tooth
- they do not absorb pigments from the oral environment and maintain the aesthetic effect they offer
- they are very durable
The disadvantages of porcelain veneers are that:
- they are expensive
- they do not change colour over time while your adjacent natural teeth may change colour
- they are technically demanding
If you need porcelain veneers, the process involves two appointments
On the first appointment
The tooth is lightly prepared. The amount of tooth substance removed is very small. The preparation of the tooth can be done under local anesthetic so you will not feel any discomfort.
The tooth is then imprinted and a temporary composite veneer is fabricated to immediately improve the appearance of your tooth.
The porcelain veneer will then be fabricated in the laboratory. It takes about a week for the veneer to be ready.
At the second appointment
We test the porcelain veneer to make sure it meets all our requirements, and then we cement it in place with a special cement that makes it impossible to become loose.
If you need multiple veneers to cover all the visible teeth in your smile, the smile design will need to be done beforehand.
With proper planning, we decide the location, size and shape of the new teeth.
The design is made either digitally on a computer or analogue with wax on a plaster model of your mouth. It will be tested in your mouth before we prepare the teeth to make sure we are happy with the result we have designed.
Based on the expected result, your natural teeth will also be prepared. We will also make a temporary restoration for you to use while the veneers are being made in the dental laboratory.
Provisional restorations help you assess the progress of the treatment by providing a mockup of the final result we have designed.