1. How will my teeth look between the two visits?

Porcelain veneers are usually done with a blue print or diagnostic wax-up so that we can evaluate the size, shape and shade of the desired final veneers. We call this a "dress rehearsal" so that people know we are trying to learn as much from the temporaries to provide them with the desired outcome. So the teeth will have temporaries that are as close as possible to the final veneers in appearance.


2. How many teeth do I need done?

When we do veneers we would like to be conservative so the number of veneers should be the minimum needed to create the desired changes. So if whitening can create a pleasing color on the majority of the teeth, veneers should only be done on the ones that are not acceptable. A rule of thumb is that they should be even in number and should be 2,4,8 or 10--never 6. The reason is that if you only do 6 veneers the side teeth from a side view will always look different than the front teeth. So always go around the corner or "eye teeth" to create a more blended appearance and prevent a harsh contrast between front and side teeth.


3. If just my upper teeth are done, won' t my bottom teeth look strange, as if they don' t match?

If whitening can be done to a satisfactory level, lowers should be left alone. Again, only teeth that can' t be corrected any other way should be veneered. They are still porcelain pieces that can break and may need to be redone every 7-10 years so the cost of replacement means, the fewer done now will mean the fewer that have to be replaced in a few years.


4. Are porcelain veneers an alternative to braces?

Many dentists market veneers this way. I feel that it is unethical to call veneers, "instant orthodontics" as you are not performing orthodontics, you are creating an irreversible change that will need to be kept up over time. That being said, properly done veneers can avoid the cost of orthodontics and the time to straighten the teeth. So orthodontics is orthodontics---not prepping and gluing porcelain to teeth.


5. Once porcelain veneers are placed, are there any restrictions placed on the patient?

We ask our patients to modify their diet, no beef jerky, ribs or using teeth as tools to open up bags of chips! These are not "unbreakable" and they should be treated with respect to prolong their life expectancy.


6. Are there different types of veneers?

Yes, there are pressed veneers, feldspathic veneers and it is beyond the scope of this interview to discuss them all. Your dentist should be able to go over the types they use and their philosophies for material selection.