Porcelain Veneers Process - From Consultation to Results

Your Veneers Journey: From First Conversation to Final Smile

Creating a world-class smile with porcelain veneers is a carefully orchestrated process that typically involves several key appointments. Each step is designed to ensure a predictable, comfortable, and beautiful final result.

Step 1: The Smile Design Consultation

This is arguably the most important step. Your journey begins with an in-depth conversation with one of our cosmetic dentists. We will discuss your goals, your frustrations with your current smile, and your vision for your new one. We encourage you to bring inspirational photos. We will take high-quality digital photographs and perform a comprehensive evaluation to ensure you are a good candidate for veneers. This visit is all about collaboration and establishing a shared vision.

Step 2: The Digital Design and "Trial Smile"

This is where your vision begins to take shape. Using advanced Digital Smile Design (DSD) software, we create a digital blueprint of your new smile, showing you a simulation on a photo of your own face. From there, we create a "trial smile", a physical mock-up of your veneers that we can temporarily place over your natural teeth without any drilling. This incredible step allows you to "test drive" the look, feel, and shape of your new smile before any permanent dental work is done.

Step 3: Tooth Preparation and Final Impressions

Once you have reviewed and approved your trial smile, we proceed to the preparation appointment.

• Preparation: To ensure your final veneers sit flush with your gum line and look completely natural, a very thin layer of enamel (often less than a millimeter) is gently removed from the front surface of the teeth. The area is completely numb to ensure your comfort.

• Final Impression: We then take a highly accurate digital scan of your prepared teeth. This digital model is the exact blueprint that will be used to fabricate your veneers.

• Custom Temporaries: You will leave this appointment with a beautiful set of temporary veneers that are modeled after your approved trial smile, so you can enjoy a great-looking smile while your permanent ones are being made.

Step 4: Master Craftsmanship in the Dental Lab

Your digital impressions and the approved design blueprint are sent to a world-class dental laboratory. There, a master ceramist will meticulously hand-craft each individual veneer from high-grade blocks of porcelain, layering colors and glazes to create the perfect shade, translucency, and texture of natural teeth. This process typically takes a few weeks.

Step 5: The Final Bonding Appointment (The Reveal)

This is the day your new smile becomes a reality. Your temporary veneers will be removed, and your new, permanent porcelain veneers will be tried in for your final approval. We will check the fit, shape, color, and your bite one last time. Once everything is perfect, your teeth are cleaned, and the veneers are permanently bonded into place using a specialized adhesive and curing light, revealing your stunning and complete smile transformation.