Thin shells of porcelain that correct shape, shade and small gaps in two visits.
If your front teeth are chipped and slightly crowded and stained, no single filling or whitening treatment solves all three. Veneers do — in two visits.
They also resist staining far better than natural enamel, which is why the result still looks right years later.
A veneer is a thin, custom-made layer of dental porcelain bonded to the front of a tooth. It changes the colour, shape, length and alignment of what shows when you smile, without touching the back of the tooth at all.
Veneers have been used for decades and remain the most predictable way to correct several problems at once. If your front teeth are chipped and slightly crowded and stained, no single filling or whitening treatment solves all three — veneers do.
Veneers are not a fix for significant crowding — aligners do that properly, and putting porcelain over badly positioned teeth means removing a lot of healthy enamel. They are also not for teeth that are heavily broken down or root-treated; those need a crown for strength. If you are a heavy grinder, we will want a nightguard as part of the plan, or we may recommend against veneers entirely.
We will tell you which category you are in at the consultation. Being turned down for veneers and steered toward something more suitable is a good outcome, not a lost sale.
Photographs, shade selection and a discussion about length and shape. This is where you tell us if you want a subtle correction or a visible change.
A very thin layer of enamel is removed — often less than a millimetre — so the veneer sits flush rather than bulky. Impressions or a digital scan go to the lab, and you leave in temporaries.
About two weeks later we try in the finished veneers, check the fit, shade and your bite with you holding a mirror, and only then bond them permanently.
A short check a week or two later to confirm your bite has settled and your gums are happy.
Brush and floss exactly as you would natural teeth — the margin where porcelain meets tooth is where decay would start, and it stays clean the same way everything else does. Avoid using your front teeth to open packaging or bite fingernails. If you grind at night, wear the guard; a cracked veneer is almost always a grinding story.
Whitening comes first. Porcelain does not change colour once made. If you want whiter teeth overall, we whiten your natural teeth first and then match the veneers to the new shade.
Ten to fifteen years is typical, and well-maintained veneers often go longer. They eventually need replacing because the bond or the margin ages, not because the porcelain wears out.
A thin layer of enamel is removed, which is permanent — once a tooth is prepared for a veneer it will always need one. That is why we discuss less invasive options like bonding or aligners first when they would give you a comparable result.
It depends on how wide your smile is when you laugh. Some patients need two, most cosmetic cases involve six to eight upper teeth, and some include the lower front teeth. We plan to the smallest number that gives a symmetrical result.
Porcelain resists staining better than natural enamel — coffee, tea and red wine affect it far less. The natural teeth around them can still stain, which is another reason to settle the shade before you start.
No. Because a matching thickness of enamel is removed during preparation, finished veneers sit at the same contour as your original teeth. Most patients stop noticing them within a few days.
Tell us what you need and our front desk will call you back to confirm a time that works.
Request Appointment (408) 241-4111Same-week appointments are often available. Most dental insurances accepted, with flexible payment plans for patients without insurance.