Dental Veener Services

Fix Your Teeth Without Braces

Teeth that are badly stained, poorly shaped, or crooked may be improved by a veneer placed on the surface of the affected teeth. Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain or plastic cemented over the front of your teeth to change their color or shape. 

Veneers are used on teeth with uneven surfaces or teeth that are chipped, discolored, oddly shaped, unevenly spaced, or crooked. Veneers have a longer life expectancy and color stability than bonding, and highly resist permanent staining from coffee, tea or even cigarette smoking. Little or no anesthesia is needed for this procedure.

Veneers are made by a dental lab technician working from a model provided by your dentist. Veneers are generally 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, teeth damaged from an injury, teeth altered by a root canal, and more. Patients with gaps between their front teeth, chipped or worn teeth, or people who would just like a more manicured smile may all consider porcelain veneers.

Call Aaron A. Leishman DMD, PA at (239) 799-5278 to learn more about veneers.

The Veneer Process

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 buffed to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer. Usually, about a half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which may require a local anesthetic. During the same visit, a mold is taken of the teeth and sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers. 

During the final "bonding" visit, also about one or two hours, the veneers are placed on the tooth surface with water or glycerin 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 with various shades of cement to match the color of your teeth. 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 visible light beam, or laser, causes a catalyst to be released, hardening the cement.

During a two-week period of adjustment that follows, you may notice the change of size and shape in your teeth. It is important to brush and floss daily. After one or two weeks, you'll return for a follow-up appointment. 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. Get in touch with us for more information. Call Aaron A. Leishman DMD, PA at (239) 799-5278 to schedule an appointment today.