The short version
- Three stages, plus a check about a week after fitting.
- The consultation decides whether veneers are realistic before anything is touched.
- About half a millimeter of enamel is removed, under anesthetic.
- The lab needs two to four weeks. Temporaries cover the gap.
- Veneers are tried in and adjusted before anything is permanently bonded.
- Stages
- Three
- Enamel reduced
- About 0.5 mm
- Lab time
- 2 to 4 weeks
- Follow-up
- About 1 week
Veneers take three stages spread over about a month. Knowing what each one involves removes most of the apprehension patients arrive carrying.
Stage one: the consultation
The first conversation decides two things. Whether veneers are the right treatment at all, and whether what you want is achievable on your teeth.
Different mouths need different work. Small teeth with spaces between them are a different problem from teeth of uneven length or color, and they lead to different plans. Be specific about what bothers you; it is far more useful than a general request for a better smile.
Three things are worth raising here:
- Cosmetic imaging. It projects the likely result before anything is committed to. This is the cheapest possible moment to correct an expectation.
- The material. Porcelain or composite changes the cost, the number of visits and the finish. See porcelain and composite veneers compared.
- X-rays, where structure needs checking. A tooth that looks cosmetically flawed is occasionally structurally compromised, and that changes the treatment from a veneer to a crown.
Stage two: preparation and the impression
About half a millimeter of enamel comes off the front of each tooth being treated. That is the depth the veneer occupies, which is why the finished tooth is not bulkier than it started.
An anesthetic numbs the area first. Where the length or structure of a tooth is part of the problem, it may also be reshaped at this stage.
Then the impression. The model goes to the laboratory, where a ceramist builds the veneers for your mouth specifically. Most cases run about two weeks; some reach four.
Temporary veneers cover the prepared teeth in the meantime. They are plastic, they are a preview, and they matter more than they sound: you wear the new shape home and live with it. Anything you want changed is changed before the ceramist starts the permanent set.
Stage three: fitting
The veneers are tried in the mouth before anything is bonded.
Shape and color are checked against the teeth around them, in daylight. A veneer can be trimmed to fit, and the shade of the cement itself makes the final small correction to color.
When the fit is right, the teeth are cleaned and the surface etched so the bond grips. A light-sensitive resin goes between veneer and tooth and a curing light sets it. Excess cement is removed and the edges are polished.
The check, about a week later
Confirms the gums have settled and the bite is comfortable. It is short, and it is the appointment people are most tempted to skip. It is also where a bite that is fractionally high gets adjusted before it does any harm.
Afterwards
Temperature sensitivity in the first days is normal and generally passes within about a week.
From then on, veneers are brushed and flossed like natural teeth, with attention to the margin where veneer meets tooth. A night guard protects them if you grind. What shortens a veneer’s life, and by how much, is in how long veneers last.
Booking
Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, an easy drive from Nokomis, Osprey and Venice. The practice is open Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm.
Call 941-927-5411, or see porcelain veneers.
