Dental Veneers
Improve and beautify your smile
Dental Veneers
Improve and beautify your smile
Are you ready for a smile makeover?
What are veneers?
Veneers are dental restorations of the front surfaces of your teeth, for people with misshapen, misaligned or discoloured teeth. Veneers look completely natural, and you can eat, smile and laugh normally right after you have had them fitted.
Veneer options
- Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin ceramic pieces that are fitted and bonded onto your tooth. They are used to restore or change a tooth’s original shape, colour and function. Sometimes part of your tooth will need to be buffed in order to reduce the bulkiness of the veneer. This helps create a more natural-looking tooth that is level with your other teeth and the gum line. Not everyone is a suitable candidate for receiving porcelain veneers. Your teeth and gums need to be free from cavities and periodontal disease before they can undergo veneer treatment.
- Composite veneers (or bonding veneers) are a type of dental veneer that is applied directly onto your teeth. Bonding is a quick and easy dental option that is cheaper than porcelain veneers. Unlike porcelain veneers that are fabricated in a 3D milling machine or dental lab, a bonding treatment can be completed in a single visit. During a bonding treatment, your dentist applies a tooth-coloured resin to your tooth to form the desired shape. Then it is hardened with a curing light, and polished.
Porcelain veneers and bonding are both cosmetic dental procedures that add material to your tooth. However, sometimes it is necessary to take away tooth material until the right balance is achieved. This cosmetic dental technique is called contouring.
Veneer contouring
Contouring (or tooth reshaping) is a technique used to carefully file small areas of tooth enamel to create a new outline or contour. It can be used to correct crooked, over-sized or uneven teeth. Contouring is often used to compliment veneer treatment so that the right balance in the tooth-shaping process is achieved. A combination of veneers and contouring techniques can also enhance the tips of teeth – along the biting edge – for a perfect shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a porcelain veneer?
A porcelain veneer is a thin tooth-shaped wafer of high-grade porcelain that is bonded to your tooth to enhance its colour, shape and mild poor tooth position issues with your smile.
What are the best quality veneers made of?
According to well-documented research, the highest quality veneers are made from strong, durable and natural-looking porcelain.
How long do veneers last?
Who should I get veneers from?
Creating veneers is both an impactful medical procedure and an art form. You should find the best cosmetic dentist who specialises in this type of work. If you want natural looking teeth, look for a dentist with experience in cosmetic dentistry. Someone who:
- You can communicate with easily
- Seeks an accurate understanding of your goals and needs
- Customises a smile design specifically for you
- Provides before and afters to ensure you are satisfied
What are the benefits of customised veneers?
Even if you are able to get a copy of the exact same set of teeth from the most beautiful person you know, it’s unlikely to suit your facial features, because everyone is different. If you can obviously tell someone has had their teeth done, it’s probably not “well” done. Veneers should look natural and be designed to suit the individual.
How are veneers customised at Leeming Dental?
We customise veneers via good digital design and planning. A thorough analysis of your face is made via photos, 3D models or traditional models to determine the exact size, shape, position proportion, relationship of each individual visible tooth relative to your facial features. You may not realise, but even your personality, expressions, occupation, family and social life can be taken into account to ensure your veneers are designed to be versatile and functional for your personal lifestyle.
How can I preview what the final veneer result will look like?
After a facial analysis, proposed veneers can be shown to a patient and trialled to ensure they look great. Adjustments can be made and trialled until you are completely happy with the result. The same process can also be trialled directly over the patients teeth based on the the treating dentist’s sculpting skills. These temporary veneers may feel slightly thicker since they are only designed to preview the veneer outline. Your permanent veneers will feel a lot thinner and smoother. As Dr Sonny often says to his patients, “If you think your temporary veneers look good, wait ’till you see the real ones!”
How do I know what veneer colour is right for me?
The most radiant colour with which you feel comfortable or feel like flaunting. This is a very common question. If you did a colour analysis of natural teeth, there are hundreds of colours, with the most common ones other than white being yellows and greys. It’s about finding the right balance between your existing tooth colour, lips, gums and skin tone in order to make a customised decision. More often than not, it’s the shape and material of the veneers that are more important considerations because they are the main factors dictating how the veneer reflects and takes up colour from its surroundings.
How much do veneers cost?
How long does it take to get my veneers from start to finish?
There are two veneer treatment options in our clinic:
- Two week veneer treatment– If you require a high level of customisation for your teeth, it is best to trial temporary veneers for your smile over a week or two, to make sure you like them, whilst your veneers are made by our team working their magic.
- Same day veneer treatment– If you do not need high levels of customisation and characterisation of your veneers, in 10 units or less, you can have your veneers done on the same day using our in-house CEREC system.
Will my teeth be shaved to “sticks” to receive a veneer?
The short answer is NO.
Conserving healthy necessary tooth structure is very important. However, seating veneers without any adjustment to your natural teeth, can often lead to less than desirable results, related to how the veneer and other teeth harmonise and match. Therefore careful diagnosis and planning is extremely important when deciding what thickness and material is required to give you a result you’ll be happy with.
Sometimes orthodontics or invisible braces may be more suitable or work in conjunction with veneer treatment. We always plan for the most minimal amount of tooth preparation required. We do not remove more than 0.5mm from the surface of a prepared tooth, which is the approximate thickness of a fingernail. In fact, it is critical for veneer longevity that your teeth have a sound structure and adequate enamel to successfully bond veneers and withstand forces over the long term. (For more information, please read our conservative dentistry blog).
How long will it take to receive 10 veneers?
Does veneer treatment hurt?
How do I look after my new veneers?
You look after your new veneers by:
- Attending check-up and cleaning appointments twice a year
- Wearing custom-made protective guard every night
- Eating healthy foods
- Avoiding clenching or grinding your teet
- Maintaining good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day. We recommend an electric tooth brush, unwaxed floss and nonabrasive tooth paste.
Custom made protective guards are made for every patient to ensure your teeth are protected when you’re sleeping. Night clenching and grinding is a very common problem and is experienced by up to 90% of the population. We recommend it for everyone, to simply protect your natural teeth.
Are you ready for a smile makeover? Book a consultation today! Call our friendly team on (08) 9310 3367.
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