When teeth are discolored, worn down or misaligned, there are many possible resolutions, all of which can create a more beautiful smile. Veneers are porcelain overlays used to modify the color and shape of teeth. This process is more conservative than getting a conventional crown, but it can still greatly improve the aesthetic appearance of your teeth. Depending on the changes desired, the preparation of the teeth may be very minor and can be done without freezing. In other cases, the preparations may need to be more extensive and require freezing and temporary veneers. To achieve the best cosmetic result, veneers are usually done in intervals of two, to maintain symmetry and color matching. Take a look at the following examples, and if you think you might be a candidate for veneers contact us today to get the smile you are after.

Sample Cases Performed

Porcelain Veneers

Veneer Process

To help give you an idea of the veneer process, here is a photo showing the steps involved. To place veneers the teeth are shaved down to make room for the porcelain. Impressions are taken of the teeth and sent to the lab. The veneers are fabricated, returned to the dentist, and then cemented into place. In this case, tooth preparation was minimal so no temporary veneers or freezing was used.

Porcelain Veneers Combined With Bonding

In some cases, we can combine porcelain veneers and resin bonding to help restore a smile. In the photos on the left, the patient’s front teeth were very chipped and worn, which resulted in a smile the patient was no longer happy with. Further complicating things, prior bridgework has done on the patient’s right side (by another dentist), resulting in the canine tooth extruding forward, and making the tooth look bigger than its neighbors. Porcelain veneers had been chosen to restore the size and beauty of the front teeth, which suffered from wear and tear (bonding would have trouble holding up to the biting forces). The patient’s left canine tooth was tilted in, but otherwise in great shape, so we opted for resin bonding on this tooth to build it out and complete the new look. The veneers added length and thickness to the front teeth to bring them in alignment with the bridge on her right side. The bonding on the canine brought it into alignment with the rest while being very conservative (no drilling of the tooth was performed). The result: a beautiful new smile, and a very happy patient.

Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain Veneers

Rejuvenating a Worn Smile

When front teeth get worn and chipped, it can be hard for a person’s bite to hold up against regular force. Crowns may be too radical a solution, and/or result in further weakening of the remaining tooth structure. In the right-hand photos, the patient’s desire was for nicer looking teeth, and veneers fit the bill. The top front six teeth all received veneers.