Modern dentistry has so much more to offer people who value a healthy, beautiful and confident smile. Porcelain dental veneers are most likely the treatment of choice for an instant and permanent smile makeover. Many of my patients ask questions like; “What are veneers for the teeth?”, “What are Lumineers?”, “What are the pros and cons of dental veneers?”, “How much do porcelain veneers cost?”, and ” What are no prep veneers?”. The answers to these questions help people determine if they are a candidate for porcelain veneers.
So what are Porcelain Veneers?…
Porcelain veneers are very thin pieces of glass that are permanently bonded to a patient’s natural tooth enamel.They are very different from traditional porcelain to metal crowns. Porcelain to metal crowns tend to have a dark or black margin line near the gum and a color or brightness that is influenced by an underlying opaquer (which looks very artificial and does not tend to blend with the other teeth); also these crowns are cemented or mechanically retained to a tooth stump that is severely whittled down. Porcelain veneers, on the other hand, do not have any metal base which eliminates dark lines and opaquers. Light can travel through the veneer, like it would with natural enamel, resulting in a nice balance of translucency which is very similar to the surrounding teeth.
Preserve your natural smile for a lifetime…
Very minimal and sometimes no tooth reduction is required when preparing the teeth for porcelain veneers. Preserving as much enamel as possible allows a strong chemical bond to be created between the teeth and the porcelain veneers. Since veneers are bonded rather than mechanically cemented, they are highly unlikely to come off like a crown might. A veneer’s strength is similar to natural enamel and would probably break similarly to enamel, if traumatized, rather than come off in one piece. When properly cared for, this generation of porcelain veneers can last a lifetime, without ever having to be replaced.
There are different types of porcelain used to make dental veneers and different preparation indications. No prep (prepless) veneers are ideal. Lumineers is a product name for a type of “no prep veneer” but ultimately custom no prep dental veneers planned from a diagnostic design created on a patient’s specific molds are the best dental veneer option available.
In what ways can porcelain veneers transform your smile?
- Permanent teeth whitening: Teeth veneers are made of a glazed glass that will not change in color, they will not stain and they rarely buildup plaque or tartar. When a smile is designed completely with veneers then a patient can select almost any shade that they would like.
- Instant orthodontics: Adult patients that have mild to moderate crowding or crooked teeth, in the absence of a poor bite relationship, can benefit by having perfectly straight teeth with porcelain veneers and in as little as two weeks rather than the years it may take with traditional orthodontics.
- Close spaces and create larger teeth: No prep veneers, similar to Lumineers, are the treatment of choice if a person has spacing between teeth and proportionally small teeth.
The procedure for porcelain veneers may vary from one dental office to another. What I would recommend to everyone considering porcelain dental veneers is to start with a thorough examination and education as to what is going on in your mouth by a cosmetic dentist that preferably has an in- office dental lab. Cosmetic problems can result from functional or biomechanical problems and these issues should be resolved in order to have great, long term results.
The Hamburg Expressions Veneers Experience…
With my patients, I do a thorough examination and take records of their existing condition. We talk about their objective and I propose treatment that will allow them to achieve their objective. I have an advantage over most cosmetic dentists in the fact that I have an in-office dental lab. My dental lab will design the patients case on study models prior to initiating any treatment. This allows us to visualize our final result and use the design as a road map to our finished product. This design is the most important tool to achieve consistent, predicatable, beautiful results in a conservative and efficient manner.
The treatment process…
Once a treatment plan is decided upon the process is pretty quick.Routinely, I will prepare teeth for veneers in one appointment using guides made from my design.I will take impressions of the prepared teeth to provide the lab with and the patient will wear temporary veneers that are the same form as our planned final design. This allows the patient a week or so to be sure that they are happy with the form and length of the new veneers. If a patient would like to tweek a few things in form then this can easily be relayed to the lab so that the final porcelain will reflect the changes. The next appointment, scheduled about 2 weeks after the prep appointment, is seating the final porcelain veneers. This is done in one appointment as well. Our patients are given an opportunity to try on the porcelain and request any changes prior to the final bond. The on site dental lab can make any changes at that same appointment which eliminates the need to go back into temporaries in order to send the changes off to some far off lab. In my office I love to photograph my patients.
Capture your special moment: I often provide professional portraits to my patients of their beautiful new smiles.
The most common question is, ” How much do porcelain veneers cost?” or “What is the price for porcelain veneers?”. Of course, the cost of any product can vary from one dental office to another. Many cosmetic dentists charge $1500-$2000 for a single dental veneer. In our office, where we have the unique efficiency of our on site dental lab, we are able to keep our fees for porcelain veneers between $1000-$1200 per veneer. The final cost per veneer depends on the number of veneers treatment planned and the type of financial arrangement selected. We offer our qualifying patients payment plans through Care Credit, Citibank, or Visa and Mastercard.
Your smile is a reflection of who you are and is often times the very first thing people notice about you. Porcelain veneers are a conservative, permanent and beautiful way to restore a confident, healthy smile that will last a lifetime. If you are interested in a complimentary consultation to see if you may be a candidate for porcelain veneers then please call our office at 859.543.9000. Visit our website www.hamburgexpressions.com to see many smile transformations with porcelain veneers.
Jenny Miller DMD
