Porcelain Veneers

You have options when it comes to enhancing your smile, and one of the most popular ways to improve the look of your teeth is with porcelain veneers. By using high-quality materials and taking a patient-focused approach, the leading team at Tam Dental Group can provide an exceptional result you’ll love. Ready to learn more? Let our friendly and knowledgeable team use the latest in digital technology to help you find and plan the right path towards a smile you can’t wait to show off.

• What Are Porcelain Veneers?
• Porcelain Veneers Benefits
• Porcelain Veneers Candidates
• Porcelain Veneers vs. Porcelain Crowns
• Porcelain Veneers Procedure
• Porcelain Veneers Recovery
• Porcelain Veneers Care
• Porcelain Veneers Results
• Porcelain Veneers Cost
• Complements to Porcelain Veneers
• Porcelain Veneers Alternatives
• Porcelain Veneers FAQs

What Are Porcelain Veneers?

Porcelain dental veneers are custom-made thin porcelain shells or caps that are placed on the front of the teeth to improve the appearance and strength. Veneers can correct a wide range of common concerns and alter the size, shape, color, and length of the teeth they cover. The shells are permanently bonded to the teeth, creating a strong and lasting outcome. Porcelain veneers can be placed on one or several teeth, as needed, to achieve the desired effect.

What Concerns Can Porcelain Veneers Treat?

Some of the many benefits of dental veneers include improving the beauty and strength of the teeth. Other common advantages include:

• Improved appearance of worn down, “short”, uneven, or irregular teeth
• Correction of gaps, chips, misalignment, and spaces
• Minimal downtime following the procedure
• Increased structural support of weakened or cracked teeth
• Natural-looking results and comfortable fit
• Rejuvenated appearance of other restorations (such as with the use of dental crowns and bridges for structurally-compromised teeth)
• Increased resistance to stains and yellowing

Is a Porcelain Veneer Right for Me?

A porcelain veneer can achieve beautiful results for a wide range of patients with minor smile imperfections. While candidacy can vary from patient to patient, porcelain veneers are generally most successful for individuals who have:

• Minor cosmetic dental flaws
• A clean, healthy mouth with no signs of gum disease
• A desire to correct gaps, discoloration, cracks, chips, and short or aged teeth
• No indications of teeth clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding)

Occasionally, wrap-design veneers can help support and replace old restorations/fillings between the teeth, reducing the need and frequency for restoration replacement over time. Dr Tam and our team of dentists will listen to your concerns and goals to develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to achieve your dream smile. In cases wherein your dental concerns are too severe to be addressed with a porcelain veneer, Dr Tam can identify the best and most conservative restorative dentistry treatment to repair damaged teeth based on residual sound tooth structure.

Porcelain Veneers vs. Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns are both commonly utilized in cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures. That said, these restorations are used for different purposes and are not interchangeable treatment options. Unlike dental crowns, veneers are designed to treat more aesthetic concerns. Rather than address severe damage or dysfunction in the mouth, porcelain veneers simply mask minor cosmetic flaws in the teeth with brilliant results. While they can help strengthen the teeth, porcelain veneers are primarily placed to enhance your smile.

On the other hand, porcelain crowns aim to surround, strengthen, reinforce, and protect a weak tooth — often with the goal of improving function and achieving a healthier bite. Dental crowns are placed on top of the teeth, rather than on the front surfaces of the teeth (which is the case with porcelain veneers), to help treat damage and even alleviate pain from cracks, cavities, or bacteria buildup. Although the realistic nature of porcelain crowns offers benefits to your smile, these restorations are mainly used to rehabilitate the teeth. As mentioned above, there is the option of “creneers,” which are wrap-design veneers with a minimal reduction focus. The ultimate goal will always be to support the tooth whilst respecting a maximal volume of healthy residual tooth structure.

What Should I Expect During the Porcelain Veneers Procedure?

Before

After

Your comfort and results are our highest priorities, which is why we will make every effort to ensure your experience is as pleasant as possible. During the procedure, the teeth that will be treated will be prepared and shaped by removing a wafer-thin layer of enamel. This reduces bulkiness when the veneers are applied and provides the most natural-looking outcome. It is the goal of our cosmetic dentists to remove as little existing natural tooth as possible while providing an excellent result. The caps will then be customized to your cosmetic preferences and anatomic needs and bonded to your teeth using the latest in technology.

To help you feel more comfortable during this process, we offer light dental sedation for patients who experience anxiety. We are happy to explain all of your options during your initial consultation.

Is There a Recovery Period After Getting Porcelain Veneers?

There is no significant recovery time after porcelain veneers are placed. While some tenderness and tooth sensitivity are common, no extensive downtime is necessary after treatment. The gingiva/gums that had been retracted from impression, temporization, and cementation procedures normally will “bounce back” and in most cases fill the spaces between the teeth normally in about 3 weeks.That said, there is often an acclimation period after getting veneers. Sensitivity usually only lasts for one or two days after treatment and we encourage patients to use toothpastes and rinses designed to mitigate enamel sensitivity, such as Sensodyne. While you get used to wearing your veneers, your speech may be slightly affected; however, note that this is unlikely as we have “test driven” your speech and your esthetics during the Digital Smile Design-driven provisional/temporary phase, and any changes will be minor. This will resolve naturally as you become accustomed to the restoration. After one to two weeks, your veneers should feel like a natural part of your mouth.

Immediately after getting your veneers placed, we recommend chewing on the untreated sides of your mouth. Normally a soft diet to begin with is recommended as you acclimatize to the restorations. Over-the-counter pain medications can be taken as necessary to manage tenderness and minimize discomfort. You should be able to resume work, exercise, and your normal routine right away.

How Can I Maintain My Porcelain Veneers?

One of the major benefits of porcelain veneers is the low maintenance nature of the restoration. Porcelain veneers are stain-resistant and closely mimic the natural color and translucency of enamel. Veneers don’t require any extra care other than the normal dental hygiene necessary to keep your teeth and gums in good condition. This simply entails daily brushing and flossing, as well as staying on top of your semi-annual dental exams and cleanings. That said, excessive bacteria buildup and plaque not only affect the longevity of your veneers, but they can also cause your natural teeth to deteriorate. For this reason, it’s important to maintain consistent oral hygiene. We also recommend investing in a night guard for patients who tend to grind and clench their teeth while they’re asleep. Other tips for preventing unnecessary damage include:

• Not smoking
• Not using your teeth as tools
• Wearing a mouthguard while playing sports
• Avoiding using your veneers to chew hard nuts, candies, etc.

How Long Do Porcelain Veneers Last?

The porcelain veneers we use in our practice are designed to be durable and survive the rigours of day-to-day life. That said, it’s important to take good care of your teeth to ensure the veneers last as long as they can. Proper oral hygiene, including brushing twice a day and flossing once, and regular dental check-ups can aid in a long-lasting result. Many patients who follow these guidelines enjoy their dental veneers for decades, although research indicates the average life of porcelain veneers ranges from 10-15 years. We will provide tips and tricks to keep your smile looking gorgeous for life.

Our Patients’ Results

Before After

Before After

How Much Do Porcelain Veneers Cost?

The price of porcelain veneers will vary depending on the number of veneers you want, the complexity of your treatment plan, and other factors that are specific to your needs and goals. During your initial consult, we will go over all the details of your treatment plan, including the full cost of your procedure. We want you to be comfortable, confident, and well-informed about your options. On average, porcelain veneers cost between $1,850 and $2,350. We accept many payment options, including dental financing with Q Card. Please let us know if you’d like to learn more at your appointment.

Complements to Porcelain Veneers

If you’d like to more comprehensively address imperfections in your dentition, our team can speak with you about a Smile Makeover, a personalized combination of minimally invasive treatments designed to make your dream smile a reality. With a Smile Makeover, multiple treatments are incorporated into one all-encompassing treatment plan to address a variety of common dental flaws, such as tooth discoloration, crooked teeth, crowding, disproportionately large gums, and chips in the enamel, among other issues. In this way, a Smile Makeover is completely tailored to your needs, and no two dental plans look exactly the same.

Depending on the nature of your concerns and whether your needs require more extensive treatments — such as SureSmile^® or dental implants — a Smile Makeover may be completed in one appointment or unfold over a series of stages. Our dentists can shed light on what you can expect with your unique Smile Makeover after listening to your goals in a consultation. With advanced Digital Smile Design (DSD) technology available at our practice, our team can even give you a virtual “preview” of how you can expect the possible results to affect your smile.

Are There Porcelain Veneers Alternatives?

While porcelain veneers can provide excellent results, they may not be the most ideal treatment for all patients. Fortunately, Dr Tam offers many cosmetic services and alternatives to porcelain veneers to address a broad range of patients’ needs:

• Composite veneers: As a more affordable alternative to porcelain veneers, composite veneers are composed of a durable composite resin rather than dental porcelain. This restoration offers relatively less longevity, but still offers beautiful and natural-looking results.
• Edge bonding: Often used for minor corrections in length and/or shape to the outline form of the tooth, edge bonding can be completed after orthodontic aligner therapy.
• Teeth whitening: If discoloration is your primary concern, you may be able to achieve your desired results with professional teeth whitening. Our Auckland office offers both in-office and at-home teeth bleaching kits so you can whiten your teeth at your leisure.
• SureSmile^® and orthodontic treatments: Misalignments and enhanced symmetry in your smile may be better achieved with cosmetic braces. Dr Tam provides clear aligner options like SureSmile^® so you can straighten your teeth with minimal interference to your daily life. SureSmile^® is often used prior to veneers, “creneers,” or crowns in a wider smile design protocol in order to set the teeth up to achieve aesthetic goals (i.e. a patient wishes to have a wider smile, or wants to achieve perfect alignment with teeth that are very misaligned).

Additional Porcelain Veneers FAQs

Is treatment with porcelain veneers reversible?

No, porcelain veneers are not usually considered a reversible treatment. In order to create room for the veneer, a minor strip of enamel is removed from the affected tooth to provide a natural look and fit. Once the enamel is removed, it does not grow back, meaning your teeth will always require some form of restoration or cosmetic bonding. While veneers can be easily replaced if they are older, damaged, returning to the original, untreated teeth is not possible. For this reason, it’s important for patients to carefully consider their goals and the long-term nature of porcelain veneers before proceeding with treatment.

Can you whiten your teeth with porcelain veneers?

Porcelain veneers cannot be whitened through traditional teeth whitening. Dental porcelain is non-porous and highly stain resistant, which are among the many reasons why porcelain veneers are so popular. These restorations tend to maintain their color and brightness over time. However, if you whiten your teeth after veneers are placed, only your natural enamel will brighten, potentially causing a mismatch between your natural teeth and veneers. To avoid this, we often recommend undergoing teeth whitening before getting porcelain veneers so the restoration can be color-matched to your desired shade.

Dissatisfied with the appearance of your smile? Talk to our team today to find out more about porcelain veneers and whether they can help you attain the look and confidence you desire.