Porcelain Veneers are not a “one size fits all” product, but rather a piece of art. So when a patient is looking for a dentist who does “porcelain veneers” they will quickly find out that everyone does porcelain veneers.
This, obviously, brings up the question of “How do I know the dentist has the experience to deliver what I want?”
Also, “How is one porcelain veneer different from another, and why does one cost more?”
All very good questions. The simple truth is that quality comes with experience and cost. Here is why:
The dentist needs to have the cosmetic background and experience to handle a large porcelain veneer smile makeover (one of the most difficult dental procedures), plus the dentist needs to work with a talented and experienced laboratory technician who will fabricate the porcelain veneers.
I challenge you all to ask your dentist at your next crown or veneer appointment this incredibly important question: “WHO is the lab technician that will fabricate this restoration we are doing today, and can I speak to them?”
Most of the time there will be a blank stare and then a “lab name” will be thrown out. This lab may have hundreds of technicians, most learning or simply “production” oriented, not quality oriented. You need to know the person, the technician, the artist that will create your dentistry, if you want premium quality.
A good porcelain veneer is a piece of art, hand sculpted to deliver everything the patient and doctor were looking for.
A good porcelain veneer fits like a glove, enhancing the beauty of the tooth – becoming part of the tooth.
Poor porcelain veneers are bulky, square, mass produced pieces of porcelain that have given many patients smiles they are ashamed of.
A smile makeover is a big decision that is not to be taken lightly. Once you are ready to get a smile you will love that fits you and your teeth perfectly, consider getting to know not only your dentist, but your artist/technician.
Keep smiling.
Do no harm. One of the most important doctrines, ever.
So if this philosophy is so important, why do so many dentist opt to cut teeth down to cap them for cosmetic reasons?
At Ideal Dentistry saving your teeth is our top priority. We do not cut teeth unless it is the absolute last resort.
Can you have a beautiful smile AND save your teeth? Most of the time YES!
Porcelain and composite veneers now can be placed over teeth, often requiring little to no tooth reduction.
You have heard of lumineers, Da Vinci Veneers and similar porcelain veneer products that tout “zero preparation” of the tooth. Well, yes, that may be the case, but it really is not the “material” that makes these products look good and work, it is the dental lab technician! One size really does not fit all. Ideal Dentistry only works with the finest dental technicians (we know each and every single one of our technicians by their name, not by their laboratory – no mass production labs for us!). All too often patients tell me their “friend” got veneers and they now have a “horse” smile…At Ideal Dentistry we only do horse smiles for horses 🙂
Daily I ask myself this question: “If the person in my chair were my daughter, son or wife, would I cut the tooth down or try to do something more conservative?”
And you know, the answer always is the same – be CONSERVATIVE.
I train all the doctors who work with Ideal Dentistry to follow this exact philosophy as well –Â save the tooth structure at all cost.
So, the next time you think about how great it would be to have a beautiful smile, come visit Ideal Dentistry, the tooth saving dental office!
Keep smiling!
Porcelain Veneers are a beautiful, strong solution to getting the smile of your dreams, but ONLY if you end up with what you had imagined!
Designing a smile with porcelain veneers is the ultimate cosmetic dental procedure and requires significant planning. You would not get heart surgery from a dermatologist, right?
I have outlined a few essentials for you in this blog post to help make certain you do not end up with a mediocre smile makeover.
You have waited a long time to get the smile you want, so do it right the first time!
Step 1
Know what you want.
What type of smile do YOU find attractive? Do you like white teeth? If you do not know what you like, how is your dentist supposed to know? The worst mistake you can make is to let your dentist decide what looks good without your detailed input.
A true cosmetic dentist makes porcelain veneers that fit you and your desires. How do you do this? I have all my patients go through a large selection of smiles that I have either made or found in magazines. Then I let them look these over for a week and bring back 5 they like and 5 they do not like. This then is used in a discussion on porcelain veneers and smile makeovers in which we find out what you really like, even if you did not know it yourself.
Step 2
Always create a preview model.
What is a preview model? Well, we use all the information from step 1 to create a wax model of your smile. This is our guide and will be transferred to your teeth in acrylic so that you can preview your smile.
This preview smile then allows us to make changes directly to the composite/acrylic until you like what you see. This can take a few days or longer, but it is a critical step. You would not buy clothes until you tried them on and decided if they fit and look good right? So why would you let someone else decide what type of smile would look good on you? Porcelain veneers are permanent and define your smile!
Step 3
Approve the porcelain veneers prior to bonding them on.
I am always shocked to hear how many patients tell me that the dentist did not show them the teeth until they were permanently bonded on. What if you don’t like them? Too late, it is permanent. Always insist on seeing the final product on your teeth and approving it prior to allowing the dentist to cement it. You are the boss, you need to live with these porcelain veneers, not the dentist.
Following these simple steps will help you ensure that you get what you want. There are many more variables, of course, but you have direct control of the above steps.
Here are some more critical things to consider before getting you porcelain veneers:
1. What lab technician (not LAB) will make your porcelain veneers? You need to know that your dentist has a close relationship with the PERSON that makes the teeth, not a factory. Porcelain veneers require an artist and a highly experienced dental technician. The cost of using a master technician over a simple technician can be significant. This is why cheap veneers are not only cheap in price but also look and feel cheap.
2. What material will your dentist use for the porcelain veneers? There are many different types of porcelain that a dentist/technician can use. All have specific pluses and minuses. Choosing the best porcelain veneer for your case requires knowledge and experience from both the dentist and technician. There is no one “best” choice.
3. Experience. Porcelain veneers are the pinnacle of cosmetic dentistry. Your smile is one of the most important parts of “you”. You always put your smile out there, every single day. Everybody sees and judges your smile. Your smile helps define how you feel about yourself…I cannot over emphasize how important a smile really is. So, when it comes down to giving you the smile you desire, why would you not spend the time and money to find the best cosmetic dentist you can? Too many patients “try” their general dentist and end up with a smile they hate. Then they need to redo the smile, essentially doubling the cost of the initial investment. Do it right the first time, or don’t do it at all!
Porcelain Veneers can be incredibly beautiful and change your life in ways you cannot imagine until you actually do it. So when you are ready, do your research and get the smile you want from a top cosmetic dentist!
Smile.
A beautiful smile is a treasure. It helps you in every aspect of life from your social life to your work life. Smiles open doors, confuse an approaching frown, are contagious and release endorphins, making you feel better.
A beautiful smile changes how other people think of you, and more importantly, how you feel about yourself.
A beautiful smile allows you to express yourself and engage others more easily.
Here is a collection of statements made over time about smiles. Enjoy.
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- When someone smiles in is universally known as an expression of happiness which is recognized by almost all cultures.
- A frown uses more muscles to contract and expand then a smile does.
- Smiling releases endorphins and makes us feel better, even when you fake a smile you can feel better.
- A person that smiles more is deemed to be more pleasant, sincere, attractive and more sociable then a on-smiling person.
- We are born with the ability to smile, it is not something that we copy. For instance, even blind babies are able to smile.
- Humans are able to differentiate between a real smile and a fake smile by seeing the difference in a persons eyes when they smile.
- Newborns tend to have more preference for a person with a smile then a person that is not smiling.
- It boosts your immune system: Smiling really can improve your physical health, too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system.
- Smiles are contagious: It’s not just a saying: smiling really is contagious, scientists say. In a study conducted in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own.
- We still smile at work: While we smile less at work than we do at home, 30% of subjects in a research study smiled five to 20 times a day, and 28% smiled over 20 times per day at the office.
- Smiling helps you get promoted: Smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.
- Smiles are the most easily recognizable facial expression: People can recognize smiles from up to 300 feet away, making it the most easily recognizable facial expression.
- Smiles are more attractive than makeup: A research study conducted by Orbit Complete discovered that 69% of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup.
- Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. ~Jim Beggs
- Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain
- The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. ~William Shakespeare, Othello
- I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. ~Author Unknown
So, be sure to smile at someone today, you will brighten both your days!
Smile, It’s Natural.
Beautiful Porcelain Veneers are the key to a perfect smile, but until recently precious tooth structure had to be removed prior to placing veneers.
As modern dentistry has progressed, porcelain veneer systems such as Lumineers, Durathin, Pearls and many others were invented that are all able to create a beautiful smile without cutting teeth!
The problem now is mostly operator error – meaning, these zero tooth reduction veneer systems do not work for everyone. Case selection is critical. Using these veneer systems on the wrong case will simply make the teeth look big and bulky, and probably worse than they did before.
So how do you know if you are a candidate for these zero preparation veneers? Well, you will need an experienced cosmetic dentist that has done many of these cases, not someone who is just learning. And how do you know your dentist has the experience? Simple, ask to see actual cases, speak to patients who had the procedure done, ask about the lab technician they use – the technician, not the lab. Check for testimonials, reviews, and lastly but certainly not least, does the dentist have enthusiasm for what he/she does?
Keep Smiling.
Your smile is an extension of who you are, a window to your soul. If you do not love your smile, then you are not letting yourself experience one of the greatest joys in life…
What does your smile say about you? Does it radiate confidence? Does it radiate beauty? Does it turn heads? A smile is a powerful tool in the job market – don’t underestimate the positive effects a beautiful smile can have on your career, and on the flip side, the negative effect a poor smile can have as well.
At Ideal Dentistry we deliver custom porcelain veneers to give you the smile you deserve. Every smile we rebuild is unique, one of a kind, and beautiful. Below are some of the smiles we have created. Take a look at the detail, the realism, the beauty of true dental art.
Our smiles have been published internationally and our practice has become known as Louisville’s Veneer Practice. Of course we take care of your entire smile, including regular dentistry for adults and children, but all dentistry performed here exceeds the standard of care, dramatically.
Natural Looking Porcelain Veneers
At Ideal Dentistry we do not do “chicklets”, but we sure replace a lot!
If you are ready to have the smile of your dreams, give us a call at 502-228-4585 and speak to Lori.
Keep smiling.
Almost every patient that comes to see me about getting a beautiful smile sooner or later asks “How long do porcelain veneers last?” This is a very valid question everyone should ask, but let me answer it here for everyone as a reference.
Porcelain veneers, or porcelain laminates, are very thin but become bonded to the outside surface of your tooth, permanently. If the veneer is bonded to the enamel, the strong outside layer of your tooth, then we achieve a bond that is so strong that the porcelain would fracture before the bond would break.
Then some patients always say: “My friend has veneers and some of them just popped off”. Well, if that happens then the veneers were not bonded on correctly. I can honestly say I have only seen this happen once about 10 years ago on a patient in California that I worked on, and the reason the veneer popped off was because there was a manufacturers error in one of the bonding solutions. We corrected it and it never happened again. So if veneers are coming off then there is a problem with the bond, usually.
To really give a better answer to “How long do veneers last?” I usually describe how veneers fail.
Veneers today are made out of incredibly strong porcelain. This porcelain is bonded to the tooth structure, as we discussed, permanently. So, the only way to “break” the veneer would be via an accident like a fall, or biting on a fork. Anything that would break your natural teeth will break the veneer. Secondly, veneers need to function properly. If you grind or clench your teeth then you need to wear a nightguard. People wear teeth down to nothing by grinding all night long. Also, teeth can break from grinding. Porcelain veneers have the same limitations as real teeth.
As we age our gum tissue recedes a little. This will expose the edge of the veneer. This is normal aging and would happen with normal teeth as well. If the veneer was blended in color wise at the gumline then it will look very natural. But, if you have super white veneers then the darker root surface will show up and it will stand out a little more.
Lastly, you still need to brush and floss or decay will creep around the veneers just like regular teeth.
That is it. So veneers, if done correctly and maintained correctly can last decades. I am personally getting ready to do my veneers, so you all can watch me go through the process as well!
I hope this helps.
Keep smiling.
Porcelain veneers, the best way to get the smile of your dreams, now available without sacrificing tooth structure!
Here is a recent smile I had the privilege of creating. This young lady has everything going for herself and now she has a smile that compliments her outgoing persona.
The beauty of such a veneer case is that her own tooth structure is still below these permanent porcelain veneers. We straightened her teeth with Invisalign so that we would not have to cut the tooth structure and then placed porcelain veneers that match her eyes! Yes, her eyes. Your smile is part of your whole face, and the color of your eyes need to match your teeth.
A smile makeover included more than just “teeth”. You need to look at the whole face, the lips, the eyes, the profile.
Keep smiling!
