What are Porcelain Veneers?
Veneers are a thin approximately finger nail thickness, custom made porcelain facing that
are bonded to the front surfaces of teeth. Porcelain veneers also referred to as dental
laminates are a very conservative procedure. With the use of dental veneers extreme
smile makeovers are achievable with extraordinary outcomes. In many cases orthodontic
movement of teeth can be avoided. This procedure typically involves two visits in
addition to a consultation visit to discuss the goal of the therapy.
Actual patient of Dr. Sellinger
What dental problem can veneers fix?
Veneers are used to close gaps, repair worn or chipped teeth and can drastically change the color of discolored teeth. Veneers can also be used in some cases to correct mal-aligned teeth to avoid the need for orthodontic treatment.
Our In office laboratory
Having our own dental laboratory on the premises sets our practice apart form a traditional aesthetic driven dental practice. When creating a smile it is the small intricate details that make one smile makeover superior than another. The ability to mimic nature and create a smile that is beautiful necessitates teamwork and communication.
Excellence in communication:
Having our lab technicians here with us ensures that our smiles and other tooth restoration are beautiful and natural and saves our patients’ time. Adjustments that would normally have to be sent back to a laboratory can be made at the time of the appointment here in our office.
Putting Our Patients In the Drivers Seat
Having our lab on the premises allows for collaboration between our patients, the laboratory technician and the dentist. Our laboratory technician is always brought in to discuss the intricacies of smile design to ensure that our patients input is communicated.
Quality Control:
Having our lab not only ensures that the restorations are beautiful but it ensures that the selection of material is in our hands.
Here in our office we are proud to offer our patients the finest dental restorations made out of the very best materials that science and technology will allow.
Utilizing only premium materials, like Noritake TM porcelain for our veneers, and the latest technologies, such as CEREC milled zirconia crowns or IPS e.max inlays and onlays our lab produces restorations of unparalleled fit, strength, and beauty.
Treatment with porcelain veneers
Timing depends upon how many teeth are involved in the procedure (1-4 hours) and usually can be accomplished in 2 visits.
First Visit:
The teeth to be treated are anesthetized. Once the teeth are sufficiently “numb” the teeth are prepared to receive the veneers. Impressions are made of the prepared teeth in order to create casts of the teeth for the veneers to be fabricated. After the impressions are made temporaries are fabricated to be worn in the mouth while the permanent veneers are being made.
These temporaries serve as a “dress rehearsal” for the final veneers. The temporaries can be adjusted to make the teeth longer, shorter and adjust small nuances to achieve your personalized beautiful smile. Once the temporaries are finalized, models of them are made to be used to guide in the fabrication of the final veneers. Veneers typically take approximately seven to ten days to fabricate and can be expedited to a day or two if you are traveling.
Second visit:
This visit is typically shorter than the first visit and again, depends on how many teeth are involved.
At the second visit the temporaries are removed and the teeth are disinfected and the veneers are tried in. Once both the doctor and the patient are satisfied with the esthetics, the veneers are bonded to the teeth. Minor adjustments to the bite are made once the veneers are bonded.
Advantages of veneers
- Veneers are significantly more resistant to staining than bonding, in fact, they are even more resistant to stains than natural teeth.
- Veneers are more resistant to chipping and fracturing than bonding and can endure about the same stresses as natural teeth.
- Porcelain, the material veneers are made of is extremely biocompatible which means that there is minimal to no risk of gum problems arising.
- Porcelain veneers can drastically change the look of your smile.
Disadvantages of veneers
- veneer therapy involves permanently removing tooth structure (approximately .5 mm) to make room for the porcelain.
- veneers more often than not have to be replaced if a fracture occurs
- veneers are more costly than bonding
