Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are probably one of the most exciting areas of aesthetic dentistry, certainly. Porcelain veneers are basically a piece of porcelain that covers the front and, typically, the incisal edge of the tooth being veneered, and allows us to cosmetically enhance something that may be not as attractive as a patient would like. We call it smile design, where we look at all the different features of the tooth size, the tooth shape. So we're looking at length, the width ratios. We're looking at the length-to-width ratios from the central incisors to lateral incisors to canines, and how they impact the smile. How broadly does a patient smile? How many teeth do they show when they smile? All those design features allow us to have great artistic creativity. So those that are candidates for veneers are typically folks who have . . . You know, the first group would be the folks that have discolored teeth, the aged-looking teeth, spaces between teeth that are not easily accomplished with orthodontics. Some misaligned teeth, in lieu of orthodontics, can be corrected via porcelain veneers. Misshapen teeth can be augmented by veneers. The shape of the smile can be augmented by veneers. And then, of course, there's those folks that, based on what industry they're in, the pressures and expectations of the perfect smile are genuine and realistic. People that, in general, just want to look more attractive and just weren't genetically gifted the perfect set of teeth with or without orthodontics. All those folks are candidates for porcelain veneers And certainly, with the proliferation and understanding of cosmetic procedures, both including medicine, you know, with all the things the plastic surgeons are able to do, the dental enhancement, if you will, the aesthetic enhancement with porcelain veneers is equally as fashionable and as valued to patients as those other medical procedures are. And we're very fortunate in this day and age to be able to deliver them in such a wonderful, predictable fashion.