What is the Porcelain Veneer Procedure?

If you are looking to completely revamp the aesthetics of your teeth and smile, you may have already looked into the world of cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry offers many procedures and treatments allowing patients the ability to change the aesthetics, function, and overall health of their smile.

Porcelain veneers are among the most popular procedure in the world of cosmetic dentistry. This procedure treatment allows for a fast and easy transformation for a smile makeover that many patients crave.

Porcelain veneers allow the adjustment for chipped teeth, cracked, misaligned, badly discolored, and separated teeth. Porcelain is a material that is very popularly used in the cosmetic dental industry as it mimics the look and feel of natural teeth.

Veneers are a very thin tooth restoration that is molded into a shield-like shape and is bonded to the outer side of every tooth. Having these placed on your teeth is completely pain-free and requires less than two visits to your dental office. However, many patients still wonder what is the porcelain veneer procedure?

Before any treatment begins, there will be a consultation between a patient and the dentist that will discuss the aesthetic goals of the patients smile. This will allow for any questions to be answered as well as discuss the shape, size, and color of the veneers to match the smile of the patient.

After the consultation, the first official appointments will begin. During this appointment, the dentist must contour each tooth by removing the enamel from the outer side.

The reason why the tooth must be trimmed and specifically shaped in this way is to allow the veneer to be bonded without making the natural tooth look too bulky. While the porcelain veneers are very thin, they will still make the teeth look bulky if they are not trimmed beforehand.

Once the teeth have been trimmed, during this time, the dentist will also take either a mold or a digital impression of your teeth to send to the dental lab so that each veneer can be made exactly to match and fit each tooth. Before the patient leaves the office, temporary veneers will be applied while the permanent ones are being created.

Once the permanent veneers have been created, it will be time for the veneers to be placed. The dentist will go through and match every veneer to every tooth to ensure the fit and feel of each restoration is in perfect condition. Once the dentist is happy with the fit, he or she will cement each veneer to the outer side of every tooth.

A form of sedation is not necessarily required unless the patient has feelings of extreme anxiety or stress. Otherwise, a local anesthetic can be applied during the trimming portion of this appointment.

When all of the veneers have been placed and bonded to every tooth, the dentist will be sure to clean and floss every tooth to ensure they are perfect. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to completely revamp the look of your smile perhaps porcelain veneers may be the answer to this question.

Contact Us

Interested in learning more about our veneer process? Read about our beautiful veneers here. Or, contact us via our online form and we'd be happy to setup a free consultation to talk about your new smile. We're also available during normal business hours at (303) 557-6453.

Want to just learn more about veneers in general? Read more here about the differences between composite and porcelain veneers.