Porcelain veneers can dramatically change your smile and repair chips, cracks, ridges, and gaps that can put a damper on the way your smile appears. Dental veneers are thin sheets of porcelain matched to the shade of your natural teeth that are permanently bonded to the front surface of your tooth. The process requires some preparation of your enamel prior to application to ensure a perfect bond. Your teeth will look flawless, as our veneers will give your teeth a natural smooth appearance. We can also make your teeth whiter! We use the highest quality porcelain that won’t discolor from red wine or coffee. With proper care, veneers can last for years.
What porcelain veneers can and cannot correct
Veneers change the front surface of a tooth, so they work well on anything visible from the front: chips, worn or uneven edges, permanent discolouration that whitening cannot reach, small gaps, and teeth that sit slightly out of line. What they do not do is move roots or change a bite. A tooth that is badly rotated, or a bite that meets unevenly, is better corrected with orthodontic treatment first — otherwise a great deal of healthy enamel has to be removed to make the veneer look straight. Where a tooth is heavily broken down or root-treated, a crown protects it better than a veneer, and our guide comparing veneers and crowns explains where the line falls.
How the treatment works, visit by visit
The first appointment is planning: examining the teeth and gums, photographs, and a conversation about shape, length and shade, because those decisions are far easier to make before anything is prepared. At the second visit a thin layer of enamel is removed — usually a fraction of a millimetre — impressions or a digital scan are taken, and temporary veneers are fitted. The laboratory then builds the veneers by hand over a week or two. At the final visit they are tried in, checked against the surrounding teeth in daylight, adjusted, and bonded. Most patients find the fitting appointment the easy one; our page on recovery and aftercare covers the first few days with new veneers.
Choosing a material
Not all veneers are porcelain, and not all porcelain is the same. Feldspathic porcelain built up in layers gives the most lifelike result in the front of the mouth; pressed ceramics are stronger and better suited to patients who grind; composite veneers are cheaper and quicker but pick up stain over the years. The choice affects both the look and the price, which is why the two decisions are best made together. Our article on the different types of dental veneers compares them, and what quality veneers cost in Anaheim Hills explains what sits behind the fee.
Veneers, bonding or whitening?
If the teeth are the right shape and simply dull, professional whitening is the cheaper and less invasive place to start, and our comparison of whitening and veneers sets out the trade-off. For a single chipped corner or a small gap, composite bonding does the job in one visit and can be reversed. Veneers earn their place when several teeth need to change shape and shade together, and when the result has to hold its colour for years. Sometimes all that is needed is reshaping the enamel edges, which is what tooth recontouring does.
How long veneers last, and what shortens their life
Well-made porcelain veneers commonly last ten to fifteen years and often longer, and what usually ends their life is not the porcelain but the tooth or gum behind it — decay at the margin, or recession exposing the join. Grinding is the other major factor, and a night guard is routinely part of the plan for patients who clench. We look at the detail in how long veneers last, and at the warning signs in our guide to common veneer problems. When a set finally reaches the end of its life, replacing old veneers is a straightforward planned procedure rather than an emergency.
Living with veneers
Veneers are cleaned exactly like natural teeth, with the added point that the margin where porcelain meets tooth is where problems begin, so flossing matters more rather than less. Porcelain does not respond to whitening, so the surrounding teeth are usually lightened before the shade is chosen. Biting fingernails, ice or pen lids will chip porcelain as readily as enamel. Our guide to maintaining dental veneers covers the daily routine, and what makes a veneer result look natural explains why planning matters more than porcelain.
A word on mail-order and DIY veneers
Clip-on and mail-order veneers have become common, and they are not the same treatment. Without an examination there is no way to know whether the teeth underneath are sound, and appliances that cover the gumline trap plaque against tissue that cannot be cleaned. We set out the risks in professional veneers versus DIY veneers. If you are still weighing up whether veneers are the right treatment at all, what dental veneers are is the place to start.
Arrange a veneer consultation in Anaheim Hills
A consultation covers what is realistic for your teeth, which material suits them, how many visits it would take and what it would cost, with nothing prepared on the day. Contact our Anaheim Hills office to arrange one with Dr. Chu, or read more about the full range of cosmetic dentistry we offer.