Porcelain Veneers

What Can Porcelain Veneers Do for You?

Porcelain Veneers can improve your smile by:

eliminating stains on teeth
fix chipped teeth
fix slightly misaligned
close gaps in teeth
improve a gummy smile
lengthen short teeth
give you any shade of white you desire
they are resistant to staining

What are the advantages of Porcelain Veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding?

The greatest advantages of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding are:

A) Porcelain Veneers create a very life-like tooth appearance.

The outer shell of the tooth is enamel. This enamel covering is translucent. That means that light striking the surface of the tooth will pass through and be reflected off the non-translucent tooth structure lying beneath the enamel. This property of translucency is an important part of what gives teeth their characteristic appearance. Porcelain veneers are glass-like. When bonded to a tooth's surface they mimic the light handling characteristics of enamel. The translucency effect gives the tooth a sense of depth, and thus a very life-like appearance.

B) Porcelain veneers resist staining.

A significant advantage of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding is related to the fact that a porcelain veneer's surface is just that, porcelain. Since porcelain is a ceramic, and therefore glass-like, its surface is extremely smooth and impervious. This means that the surface of a porcelain veneer will not pick up permanent stains.

What happens during the procedure?

Patients need three appointments for the entire procedure:

Diagnosis and treatment planning: It's critical that you take an active role in the smile design. Understand the corrective limitations of the procedure.
Preparation of teeth: 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. At this appointment, a mold is taken of the teeth, which is sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers.
Bonding of veneers: 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 initiates the release of a catalyst to harden the cement.

Cosmetic dental work often involves a substantial investment, and may require special maintenance to help keep it looking its best. Cosmetic dentists with many years experience in the field, have valuable insights into keeping your dental work looking great for years to come.
Please see Porcelain Veneers Maintenance.

Beaverton Dentists Dr. Alan Montrose, DMD and Dr. Jodi Dotson, DMD of Smiles NorthWest Family Dentistry - Providing services in general and cosmetic dentistry to the communities of Beaverton and Portland, Oregon.

3800 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd. Suite 180 Beaverton, OR 97005
Ph: 503-644-7763 | Fx: 503-646-3992

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