Porcelain Veneer

A porcelain veneer can be an ideal way to make a cosmetic change for a tooth. Compared to dental bonding, porcelain veneers usually look more life like and they have the added benefit of resisting staining well. As a disadvantage, porcelain veneers are typically fairly expensive and if used in the wrong application can be prone to breaking. Unlike dental bonding, if a porcelain veneer has broken typically the whole veneer must be replaced. It usually cannot be patched or repaired.

One way that we can make your smile more attractive is to place porcelain veneers or jacket crowns. Porcelain veneers are translucent, thin laminates made to improve the esthetics (shape, spacing, color) of natural teeth, to correct crowding, or to replace composite bonding.

If you already have crowns on your front teeth, replacement with all porcelain jacket crowns may give you a more natural, attractive appearance. Or think about cosmetic repositioning as an alternative to orthodontics with the placement of porcelain veneers.

Porcelain veneers and crowns are permanent restorations, and they can be expected to last for many years. Also, there are no food restrictions - once they are cemented you can eat normally (apples, corn on the cob, etc.) - porcelain simply covers the imperfections in your own smile!

Porcelain jacket crowns and laminate veneers both require two office visits. At the first appointment we remove any old bonding and prepare the teeth. We also take impressions and choose the shade and shape of the porcelain. When you leave the office, temporary bonding is used to cover the prepared teeth. Approximately one week later, the porcelain veneers or crowns are permanently cemented at the second appointment.

They are often used to fix gaps between teeth, or cover stained or irregular teeth. This procedure is usually not reversible because a very thin surface of enamel is removed to give room for the shells.
 

All Porcelain Crowns

All Porcelain Crowns can provide the same sort of major cosmetic changes that porcelain veneers can make. However, unlike porcelain veneers that only cover over the front sides of teeth, All Porcelain Crowns cup over and encase the entire aspect of a tooth which lies above the gum line.

In comparison to porcelain veneers, All Porcelain Crowns are stronger and more durable but because making one involves trimming away a significant amount of tooth structure they usually aren't the best choice for making a cosmetic change for a tooth, unless the tooth also requires the non-cosmetic benefits the crown can provide. Like porcelain veneers, there is typically a fair amount of cost involved when All Porcelain Crowns are made.