Teeth that are badly stained, shaped or crooked may be improved by a veneer placed on the surface of the affected teeth.

Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain bonded to the front of your teeth to change their color or shape. Veneers are used on teeth with uneven surfaces or are chipped, discolored, oddly shaped, unevenly spaced or crooked. Veneers have a longer life expectancy and color stability than tooth colored composites, and are highly resist permanent staining from coffee, tea, or even cigarette smoking.

Veneers are usually made by a dental lab working from a mold provided by your dentist. Veneers are usually irreversible because it`s necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to accommodate the shell.

Porcelain veneers can mask undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline, by an injury, or as a result of a root-canal procedure, and are ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. Patients with gaps between their front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn may consider porcelain veneers.

Typically, veneers entail at least three appointments: diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation, and bonding.

During the tooth preparation visit, usually lasting one to two hours, the teeth are lightly prepared to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer. Usually, about a half a millimeter of the tooth is removed. During the same visit, a mold is taken of the teeth, and sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers. Temporary Veneers are then usually placed.

During the final "bonding" visit, also about one or two hours, the veneers are placed on the tooth surface with water or glycerine on the teeth to check their fit and get a sense of the shade or color. While the veneers are resting on your teeth, they can be adjusted to the color and shape desired. To apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. Once a special cement is sandwiched between the veneer and tooth a light is used to hardening the cement.

Porcelain veneers are reasonable facsimiles of natural teeth, not perfect replacements. It`s not uncommon to see slight variations in the color of porcelain veneers upon close inspection, as this occurs even in natural teeth.

For certain patients no preparation of the teeth may be necessary. Please see our specialties page for more information.

The following Is an actual case treated by Dr Zingerman.

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