Veneers or Porcelain Laminate Veneers are the strongest way to repair a broken portion of your tooth. Porcelain veneers are used to correct the same things as bonding does. Porcelain veneers can also cover up discoloration, repair a damaged tooth or change the shape or size of your teeth. Porcelain veneers are much stronger than bonding and will not pick up stain like bonding does. Porcelain veneers will also retain their luster, unlike bonding. Veneers will usually last 10 or more years.

There are different types of porcelain veneers. Some veneers are placed on the teeth with no preparation. This works great if the teeth are small and you want to increase the size of the tooth. Because a veneer has thickness, even extremely thin ones, the veneers will increase the size of the tooth. A peg lateral is a candidate for a no prep veneer. The minimal prep veneers, can be done if there is no filling in the tooth, the tooth size is to be increased slightly and there is no crowding of the teeth. Standard preparation veneers are placed on teeth where you need to maintain or decrease the size of the tooth, there is crowding and you need to shift the tooth left or right or want to shorten the tooth. Most porcelain veneers fall in the minimal prep or the stardard prep categories.

First, Dr. Ron Widen will listen to our guest and learn their desires. When he understands what our guest is looking for he will co-design the case and determine the form, size, shape and color of the veneers. We will discuss how many teeth are necessary to veneer to achieve the result the guest wants to accomplish. The porcelain veneer case is then sent to the lab to have a wax-up of the final product made. This way Dr. Widen and our guest can see what the final porcelain veneer shape will be before the case is even started. When the wax-up is received from the lab it is examined to see if it meets our desires.

Once the wax up is approved, the fun can begin. This is a two appointment procedure. The first appointment is the preparation phase. A small amount of enamel is removed off the front of the tooth and sometimes in between the teeth. We must remove any decay and any old fillings that would interfere with the longevity of the porcelain veneer case. Then an impression is made. The impression is sent to the lab and the lab makes the required amount of porcelain veneers and sent back to the office in Chicago. At the next visit, Dr. Ron Widen will try in the porcelain veneers to make sure our guest is happy with the final result. When the guest approves the veneers he will bond, trim and polish the veneers. The seating is usually a time consuming appointment and can last for hours. But usually quite worth the wait. Compared to crowns, porcelain veneers are a more conservative method for restoring a moderately fractured tooth.

Porcelain veneers not only restore your teeth but also helps to improve your appearance and self-confidence. People are sometimes hesitant to smile because of the way their front teeth look, after placing porcelain veneers you can smile freely again.