Porcelain veneers are one of the more dramatic procedures that we can perform for a cosmetic enhancement to someone. It’s like a night and day procedure, night and day result. But the process basically starts with the examination of the x-rays and the cleaning of the teeth, the impressions to study the case. Sometimes you have to perform what’s called a diagnostic wax-up that kind of shows the patient how it’s going to look, how the final product is going to appear. And if from that we proceed with the treatment and prepare the teeth and take the impression, which is pretty much non-invasive, and send it to the laboratory. And they fabricate the case and they come back and we deliver the case, just bond the veneers to the teeth.
Now, the good candidate is one that’s had tetracycline staining, damage to the teeth like chipped. I remember one patient had a sledding accident when he was a child and his teeth were rather jagged. He tried bonding and it wasn’t working. He had veneers placed and it just made an instant transition in his smile, his personality changed, everything. His self-esteem changed.
So it’s a nice service for someone that’s had, let’s say, malformed teeth or someone that wants a quick orthodontic fix. Sometimes veneers help with that. Our veneer patients are happy with the final result and it just makes a rapid transformation in their appearance and their self-esteem.