What are porcelain veneers?
Veneers are thin shells of porcelain bonded to the front of your teeth to change their colour, shape and proportions. We use e.max, a glass ceramic that lets light through much like natural enamel.
How is a veneer made by hand?
Your ceramist builds each veneer in layers, adjusting translucency at the edge and warmth near the gum. It takes longer than milling a block, and it is the reason the result looks like teeth rather than a row of white tiles.
How is the shade chosen?
Together, in daylight, at the try-in. You see the veneers in your mouth before they are bonded, and the ceramist adjusts shape or shade there and then if you want.
What kinds of veneers are there?
Three kinds are common. Hand-layered porcelain veneers, like ours, are built up by a ceramist in several layers of e.max. Milled veneers are cut by a machine from a single ceramic block and then stained. Composite veneers are made of resin, shaped directly on the tooth or in a lab.
Porcelain keeps its colour and shine for many years and looks most like enamel. Milled porcelain is quicker to make and more uniform in colour. Composite costs less and needs little or no preparation, but it stains and wears sooner. Our guide on veneers or bonding compares the options in more detail.
How much of the tooth is prepared?
As little as the design allows. The smile preview is copied onto your teeth as a mock-up, and the doctor shapes the enamel through it, so only the parts that stand in the way of the new design are touched. Where teeth are small or set back, some veneers need little or no preparation.
Where enamel is reshaped, the change is permanent: those teeth will always need a veneer or similar covering. This is why we start from the design and not from a standard thickness, and why we discuss bonding or whitening first when they can reach the result you want.
What are the possible risks and side effects?
Most people have no problems beyond a few days of sensitivity. Possible issues include:
- Sensitivity to hot and cold, usually settling within days or weeks
- A chip or crack in the porcelain, more likely with grinding or biting hard objects
- A veneer coming loose, which can usually be bonded again
- Gum irritation at the edges if cleaning there is difficult; we shape the edges so they are easy to clean
- Over many years, the natural teeth next to the veneers may darken, or the gum line may move slightly, showing the edge
Your doctor checks your bite and gums before treatment, and explains which of these apply to you.
What affects the price of veneers?
Mainly the number of veneers, how they are made, and any treatment needed first. Hand layering takes a ceramist hours per tooth; milling takes minutes. Gum treatment, replacing old fillings or whitening the neighbouring teeth can be part of the plan. A night guard may be advised if you grind. Your written quote lists each item; our starting price is shown on this page and on the prices page.
Veneers or crowns?
A veneer covers only the front of the tooth, so more of your natural tooth stays. A crown covers the whole tooth and is the better choice when a tooth is heavily filled, root-treated or broken. Many smiles combine both: veneers on healthy front teeth, crowns where a tooth needs protecting. See our crowns page.
How do you look after veneers?
Like natural teeth: brushing twice a day with a soft brush, cleaning between the teeth, and regular check-ups. Avoid biting very hard objects and wear a night guard if you grind. Our guide on caring for veneers and crowns sets out a simple routine, and what to do if something chips.
Who works on your veneers?
One doctor plans and prepares your teeth and fits the veneers. One ceramist designs and layers them in the lab next to the clinic and is with you at the try-in. You meet both, and the same two people follow you through your check-ups after you go home.