Veneers and Lumineers

Porcelain veneers

With porcelain veneers, doctor may give you a local anesthetic to make the procedure more comfortable. He will then remove a thin layer of the enamel from your teeth to make room for the veneers. At this point, we will make a mold of your teeth to be used to custom-make your porcelain veneers. In the meantime, doctor may place temporary veneers to replace the portion of the tooth that was removed. These are worn until your porcelain veneers are ready. The temporary veneers are very fragile and need to be treated gently during eating and cleaning as they come loose very easily.

On your next visit, doctor will remove the temporary veneers and put a mild chemical on your teeth to make them a little rough. This helps the porcelain veneers stick to your teeth better. The porcelain veneers are then glued to your teeth one by one, using composite resin cement.

Just like your natural teeth, your veneered tooth needs to be brushed and flossed daily.

You still need to visit our South Surrey dental office every six months for professional cleanings and exams.

If the veneers are not fully placed or sealed onto your tooth, stains or cavities can form under the veneer.

If a veneer chips or peels off, or if a cavity forms under a veneer, the veneer must be redone. The other option is to put a crown on the tooth.

Once you have veneers, you cannot reverse the treatment because part of your enamel has been removed.

Porcelain veneers and bonded teeth can be chipped if you are not careful when biting or tearing into hard or chewy foods. Do not bite hard objects like ice cubes or fingernails.

Not everyone is a good candidate for veneers. Here are some reasons why Dr. Zeng may suggest treatments other than veneers:

If a tooth has decay or is in an area that has periodontal disease (gum disease). These problems must be treated first.

If a tooth has little enamel left, a veneer will not stick to it properly.

If too much of the tooth is missing, a crown may be another option.

If a person grinds or clenches his or her teeth, this can chip or break porcelain veneers.