Most people who ask about veneers already know what they don’t like about their smile: stains, chips, gaps, or a tooth that has always looked “off.” What they usually haven’t been told is why it happened, and whether veneers alone will hold up against it.
So before we talk about shade or shape, we figure out what’s causing the problem.
Find the cause first
- Deep, gray-toned staining from childhood antibiotics like tetracycline sits inside the tooth. Whitening doesn’t reach it, so veneers are often the real fix.
- Chipped or worn edges can point to a bite problem. If that isn’t dealt with first, new veneers can chip or wear the same way.
- Crooked or crowded teeth might be better straightened with Invisalign first, so less tooth has to be reshaped for veneers, or sometimes none at all.
- Surface stains may only need whitening.
That’s why we start with a real look at your teeth and bite, including the 3D scan we take for every patient. Here’s the order we plan cosmetic work in.
How we make veneers
- Planning and a wax-up. We plan the new shape and color of your teeth, and the lab makes a wax model of the result.
- A trial smile, if you’d like one. We can show you that design in your own mouth before anything is final, so you can see and feel the shape and length and tell us what to change.
- Preparing the teeth. We usually reshape the teeth a little, because most of our patients need some change in alignment or a bigger shift in color, and that takes room for the porcelain.
- Temporaries while you wait. You go home in provisional restorations while the lab makes your final veneers.
- Bonding the final veneers. We check the fit, color and bite, then bond them in place.
How many visits is that? At least two: one to prepare your teeth and take the records, and one to bond the final veneers. Most cases run two to four, because bite checks and follow-up visits are part of getting it right. We’d rather have you back to adjust something than send you off with a bite that’s a little off.
If you’re having both arches done, we work on one at a time. We finish the top start to finish, then begin the lower arch.
Whiten first, if you’re going to. Porcelain doesn’t whiten, so your veneers are matched to your teeth as they are when they’re made. If you want your other teeth lighter, whiten before we match the shade, not after.
Porcelain or composite?
Veneers can be made from porcelain in a lab, or built from composite resin, the same tooth-colored material used in bonding. Each has a real advantage.
- Porcelain keeps its color and shine longer. That’s the main reason we usually recommend it for veneers.
- Composite can be repolished and added to. If it stains, dulls or chips, it can often be fixed in the chair instead of replaced.
Both hold up well in the research. A review of 13 studies of porcelain and glass-ceramic veneers found about 89% still in place after a median of 9 years, and chipping or fracture was the most common problem, in about 4%.
Morimoto S, Albanesi RB, Sesma N, Agra CM, Braga MM. Main clinical outcomes of feldspathic porcelain and glass-ceramic laminate veneers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of survival and complication rates. Int J Prosthodont. 2016;29(1):38-49.
A review of composite veneers found about 88% survival across randomized trials that followed patients for 2 to 8 years. The most common problems were surface roughness, color mismatch and staining at the edges, which fits with composite needing more touch-ups over time.
Lim TW, Tan SK, Li KY, Burrow MF. Survival and complication rates of resin composite laminate veneers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2023;23(4):101911. Only seven studies with shorter follow-up than the porcelain research, so the two numbers aren’t a direct head-to-head comparison.
For small chips and gaps, cosmetic bonding is often the simpler answer, and we’ll tell you if that’s the case.
Real cases
One patient’s childhood tetracycline staining left his teeth permanently dark. He’d hidden his lower teeth behind his lip for years, even after veneers had fixed the top. Finishing the rest of his smile meant he could finally stop hiding it.
See how we solved C.S.’s staining →
Another patient needed her veneers redone years later, but the real story went back to a childhood accident that damaged her upper lip and led to several surgeries. We coordinated the timing with her plastic surgeon before new veneers finally gave her the smile she’d been waiting for.
See how we solved S.M.’s case →
A third patient came in asking about whitening. A closer look found real wear underneath the discoloration that whitening couldn’t fix. Veneers restored both the length and the look she wanted.
See how we solved D.T.’s case →
Veneers or Invisalign?
If your teeth are out of position, not just stained or worn, veneers can only disguise that, and they take more tooth to do it. Invisalign may be the better first step. Here’s our full comparison.
Getting started
Bring in whatever bothers you about your smile. We’ll look at what’s causing it, whether veneers are the right fix, and what the plan and cost would be. Call 702-734-0776 or tell us what’s going on.