Porcelain Veneers in Post Office Square, Boston, MA

How Do Dental Veneers Work?

Veneers are a great option for patients who have the following issues:

• Smaller-than-average teeth
• Discoloration/staining
• Chipped teeth
• Broken teeth
• Small gaps between the front teeth
• Mild crowding/crookedness of the front teeth

Some people invest in a single veneer to repair a chipped or discolored tooth, while others invest in six to eight veneers to create the appearance of a symmetrical smile.

After preparing the tooth, the veneer is placed on the outside of the tooth – only the part of the tooth that is visible when you smile or talk.

The veneer can be made chairside using composite resin, the same material we use to fill a tooth if a person has dental decay. The tooth is prepared, conditioned/cleaned, and primed before an adhesive is placed. Your Post Office Square dentist will then place the composite on your tooth and shape it before light-curing it. Once the composite is hard, they will continue to shape and polish the composite veneer until it looks like a natural tooth structure.

In other situations, it is best to get the expertise of a dental lab technician. This procedure is referred to as indirect veneers and requires two trips to the dental office.

What Are the Benefits of Dental Veneers in Post Office Square?

One of the benefits of porcelain or composite veneers is that we can match the natural shade of your teeth with both materials. If you do not like the current shade of your teeth, we recommend investing in professional tooth whitening before your veneer appointment.

If you choose to do this, do not whiten your teeth immediately before your veneer preparation appointment. Instead, whiten your teeth a few weeks before (especially if you are using an at-home whitening system). This will give you plenty of time to brighten your teeth to your desired shade.

Composite resin and porcelain cannot be whitened, so we want to make sure you are happy with the shade before we proceed.

What Happens During an Indirect Veneer Preparation Appointment?

Indirect veneers require two appointments: the preparation and delivery appointments.

During your preparation appointment, we will numb the teeth and gums. Your Post Office Square dentist with then use a dental handpiece to remove some of the enamel from the front and biting surface of your tooth. Just enough is removed to accommodate the thickness of the veneer.

Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and will send the impression to our trusted dental laboratory. We will create temporary veneers out of heavy-duty, tooth-colored plastic and temporarily cement them to your teeth.