WHAT ARE PORCELAIN VENERS?
A porcelain veneer is a thin shell of tooth coloured porcelain. It is custom made to precisely fit a lightly prepared tooth surface.
When bonded to the outer surface of your tooth it becomes incredibly strong and life-like. When completed well, they are roundly considered one of the most durable procedures a dentist can provide.
They can dramatically improve a crooked, worn or gappy smile.
Before & After
A porcelain veneer can fix…
Crooked or uneven teeth
In most instances, orthodontic straightening is the most ideal treatment for crooked teeth. However, many people do not wish to go through this process, and this is where veneers excel. This is particularly so if the teeth are also misshapen or dark in colour.
Worn teeth
Worn teeth result in a departure from a youthful appearance where the teeth are all more rounded and their edges do not form a completely straight line.
Thin enamel
Over time, acidic erosion or harsh tooth brushing habits can lead to the loss of enamel on the outer surface of the tooth. This will result in the teeth being dull in lustre and darkened. Porcelain veneers will return the natural beauty to these teeth and should protect them from further structural loss.
Gappy teeth
This problem is not always able to be corrected with orthodontics as sometimes the teeth develop to be smaller than the space available. Porcelain veneers offer the most ideal solution to fill such gaps.
Heavily discoloured teeth
Some teeth are resistant to bleaching and the only way to fix the problem is to cover over the darkened surfaces. Sometimes, the discolouration is so dark that a thin veneer will not mask the underlying colour. A crown may be the only solution in this instance.
Will You Get The Result You’re After?
One of the real challenges of designing a new smile in the past was in communication. The challenge?
You’re not a dentist…so how can you tell us what you really want?You know a beautiful smile when you see one. But how do you describe what it is that you’re so enamoured with?
And how will you know if we’ve heard you correctly.
And it’s no small matter… it’s a lot of time and expense to end up with a smile that we’re ecstatic about…but you’re not quite so positive about.
And that sort of outcome’s soul destroying for us too!
So we had to design a protocol that takes all the guesswork out of the process.
Here’s what we came up with…
Smile Guide Touch Pro.
This easy to use software package is an animated smile guide that helps show you what your smile could look like. It allows you to easily visualise what combinations of various shapes and sizes of teeth will look like. You will readily see the difference that different lengths and shapes of teeth will make to your smile.
Digital Mock-up.
Using high-resolution photos that we take of your smile, and all that you’ve told us about your perfect smile, we create a digital simulation of what your perfect smile would look like. We then send you a personalised video consultation that outlines your options and costs, using your simulation and previous cases we’ve done to illustrate results.
At this point we encourage you to get involved and provide input to further refine your design.
3-D Trial.
This is where all the information we’ve gathered thus far becomes invaluable. You can opt for a smile ‘test-drive’ where you get to see the proposed result directly in your own mouth. Believe it or not, this is an extremely simple chair-side procedure, taking less than 5 minutes to complete. And there’s no better way to see a preview of your new smile in place. You can even take the temporary version home for your friends and family to see.
Would you like to see what’s achievable with your smile? Call us now or request an appointment.
Are you too busy to come down to our practice? Why not try our Virtual Consult? It’s so simple. Answer a few questions to fully describe your issues, send me a photo of your smile and I send you a personalised video, outlining your options and costs, using previous cases we’ve done to illustrate results.
So why hang around wondering what’s possible. Get some answers today!
What do porcelain veneers cost?
The cost of porcelain veneers is based on three things – how well they fit, how natural they look, and how long they’ll last.
If you want a great result… if you want an amazing natural smile, then much more time in planning and execution is required.
The laboratory has to be the best. The little details…the checks and balances…they all really count.
At Melbourne Dentist, our Porcelain Veneers range from $1600 to $1800 each. The final price depends on the number of veneers, the degree of difficulty and the quality of finish you are looking for.
But why guess what the overall price will be. Would you like to get a better idea of what’s best for you and what that might cost without leaving the comfort of your own home?
Why not try our free virtual consult.
It’s simple. And there’s just 3 steps…
- Tell us what you’d like changed.
- Send us a photo of your smile from your phone and…
- We send you a personalised video, outlining your options and costs, using previous cases we’ve done to illustrate results.
So why hang around wondering what’s possible. Get some answers today!
How many veneers should I do?
Generally, you should consider placing porcelain veneers on the teeth you want visible in your smile.
This is different for every person and depends a lot on the broadness of your upper jaw.
Placing veneers on only your front six teeth will often lead to a narrow looking smile where your front six teeth appear to sit forward while the others behind them tend to disappear a little in the smile.
The current trend is to consider veneering the front eight teeth and sometimes even the front ten. This will lead to a broader looking smile.
However, sometimes this is just overkill, and only 1 to 4 veneers will make a huge difference.
But why guess how many veneers would be right for you? Would you like to get a better idea of what’s best for you and what that might cost without leaving the comfort of your own home?
Why not try our free virtual consult.
It’s simple. And there’s just 3 steps…
- Tell us what you’d like changed.
- Send us a photo of your smile from your phone and…
- We send you a personalised video, outlining your options and costs, using previous cases we’ve done to illustrate results.
So why hang around wondering what’s possible. Get some answers today!
The porcelain veneer process
Visit
01
Identify your concerns.
Discover what it will take to achieve YOUR ideal smile.
Take photos and a mould of your teeth to design your new smile.
Virtual Consult
We digitally design your ideal smile, then send you a video consultation via email. We may include examples of our previous cases that have similar issues to yours to demonstrate likely results. We also clearly outline your costs to help you make your decision…maybe even involving the input of a significant other!
Want to See More?
If you’re happy with the plan, and want to see it come to life in your mouth as a “Test-Drive” before progressing with any tooth preparation then another appointment will be organised for you.
Visit
02
Place the 3-D Trial onto your teeth.
Take further photos to get your feedback on the proposed design
Visit
03
Your teeth are accurately prepared using your design blueprint.
We place realistic temporary veneers – you can immediately experience your new smile.
Visit
04
We quickly review your smile to ensure it’s all you’d hoped for.
If required, we quickly carry out minor tweaking of your temporary smile so we’re sure the real one will be perfect.
Visit
05
We permanently fix your final veneers into place. Your new life with a beautiful smile begins.
FAQ
Will my veneers look fake?
Natural looking veneers are a result of:
- Ideal tooth preparation. This is only possible if we are following a predetermined plan determined by the Digital Smile Design process.
- Artistic and technical capabilities of the laboratory technician. We use only the most senior technicians at one of Melbourne’s largest and most technically advanced laboratories. Find out more about our lab TDSA here.
How long do porcelain veneers last?
Most porcelain veneers will last from 15 to 20 years. However, they can last considerably less than this if trauma or decay is involved.
The porcelain itself is extremely strong and stable, but it attaches to tooth structure, and finishes close to gum and bone structures that are alive. As such they can become diseased or damaged – the reason for early failure is not commonly because of porcelain failure.
If the porcelain veneer does happen to pop off, it is commonly readily cleaned up and re-bonded to the tooth in quick time.
What's the difference between a crown and a veneer?
The preparation for a veneer mostly involves the front surface of your tooth, extending just over the biting edge. Typically, we remove 0.5mm of structure. We only chose a crown if the remaining tooth structure is not adequate enough to support a veneer. The crown preparation extends 360 degrees around the tooth and typically involves around 1mm of reduction from all surfaces.
How much of my tooth will be removed?
With thorough and adequate planning, Digital Smile Design provides a blueprint that allows for exactly the right amount of reduction.
With minimal or no reduction (prep-less veneers) you have limited ability to create correctly balanced shapes and you cannot cover underlying blemishes. Therefore, it’s rare that a prep-less veneer is the best option.
On the other hand, if we remove too much structure, the bond to the remaining tooth will be of lesser quality leading to a less durable result, or worse still, to nerve damage of your tooth.
Will my veneers stain over time?
Porcelain veneers should never stain. Therefore, it is not necessary to abstain from strongly coloured foods. The junction of the veneers to the tooth however can stain, but only if the fit here is not perfect.
The fact that they don’t stain can actually be an issue. This is because the surrounding natural teeth and resin restorations will change colour over time. Therefore, if you have only one or two veneers, and they are surrounded by natural teeth, they may end up looking too light in colour over time as those surrounding them darken. Not to worry though…teeth whitening procedures will re-lighten these surrounds to their original shade, and you can use the porcelain veneers as your finish shade control.
What are the risks of porcelain veneers?
If correctly planned and executed the risks are actually very minimal – this is one of the most reliable forms of treatment that a dentist can provide.
Some people have excessively heavy bites, particularly related to grinding while asleep. Porcelain veneers may be more prone to fracture or de-bonding under these circumstances. However, we can protect against this by providing you with a guard to wear while you’re asleep. Porcelain crowns may be a better option in such circumstances.
If I veneer my upper teeth, will they match the lowers?
Most people don’t show their lower teeth as much as they do their upper teeth. Therefore, we place most of our porcelain veneers on upper teeth.
If you do show your lower teeth in your smile, we’ll happily discuss your options to place porcelain veneers here – particularly if they are also crooked. However, most people will simply whiten their lower teeth to match the uppers.
We often encourage teeth whitening to be done before we place your veneers, so we can match to an actual final whitening result. The simultaneous whitening of the upper teeth would provide colour lightening here and allow for thinner, more conservative veneers to be placed.
Will there be pain after treatment?
Pain should be minimal after porcelain veneer treatment. There may be slight sensitivity experienced during the two-week period that the temporary veneers are in place, but this will quickly resolve when the permanent veneers are bonded.
The preparation and bonding process requires strict control over the surrounding gum tissue. They are lightly pushed out of the way during the procedure, and some people can have mild discomfort in this area for a day or two after treatment.
Rarely, the bite can be left a little too heavy on a tooth after bonding leading to slight tenderness in that tooth. Again, this will be easily and quickly resolved with a quick bite adjustment as required.
Maintenance of porcelain veneers and crowns
Maintenance of Porcelain veneers is relatively straight forward. When produced to be accurately fitting and then bonded correctly, the junction between the tooth and veneer should be imperceptible. Therefore, home maintenance should be similar to any other teeth:
- Use only a soft bristled toothbrush with regular fluoride toothpaste. Be sure that the paste is not too coarse or abrasive – it should feel smooth between your fingertips.
- Floss between your veneers daily, carefully passing the floss all the way up to where the tooth joins the gums.
- If your bite feels slightly heavy on any of your new veneers, please advise us straight away.
- Do not bite on anything hard and brittle. A good rule of thumb is to avoid chewing anything that you should not chew with your natural teeth. (i.e. bones, ice, fingernails, olive pits, Opening pistachio nuts with your teeth, and popcorn kernels).
- If you grind or clench your teeth while sleeping we recommend you wear a night guard to minimise the stresses on all of your teeth. Be wary of placing high stresses on your teeth during strenuous exercise.
About one to two weeks after your porcelain veneers are permanently bonded, we would like to see you return to our practice to carefully evaluate the treatment. The gum response will be assessed and we can follow up on any questions you may have.
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