Thin. Precisely fitted. Color-matched to your natural teeth. And permanent — which is exactly why we don’t rush them.
A veneer is a thin ceramic shell — typically 0.5mm to 0.7mm thick — bonded permanently to the front surface of a tooth. They change the color, shape, length, or surface texture of a tooth, and because they’re fabricated from porcelain, they reflect light in a way that is nearly indistinguishable from natural enamel.
Veneers are irreversible. Placing a veneer requires removing a thin layer of natural enamel from the tooth surface, making the tooth permanently dependent on the restoration. This is why candidacy assessment matters as much as the fabrication itself. If you are a good candidate, a well-made veneer from a skilled lab is one of the most durable and natural-looking restorations in cosmetic dentistry. If you are not — because of bite mechanics, active grinding, or gum instability — a veneer placed too quickly is a veneer that will fail too quickly.
Veneers are appropriate for teeth that are:
Veneers are not appropriate when:
E-MAX is our primary material for porcelain veneers. It is a pressed glass-ceramic with exceptional translucency — the same quality that makes natural enamel look alive rather than flat. E-MAX veneers are fabricated in a dental laboratory from a digital scan of your prepared tooth. The result is a restoration that can be matched to the shade, translucency, and surface texture of your adjacent natural teeth with a precision that chairside composite cannot replicate.
E-MAX veneers typically last 10–20 years with proper care. They are more resistant to staining than composite and maintain their color over time.
Composite veneers use the same tooth-colored resin material as composite fillings, applied directly to the tooth surface in a single appointment. They require no laboratory and no second visit. They are reversible — the composite can be removed without further altering the tooth — and they cost significantly less than porcelain.
The trade-off: composite stains more readily than porcelain, is more susceptible to chipping, and does not have the same optical depth. Composite veneers are a good option for younger patients, for patients wanting to preview a result before committing to porcelain, or for minor repairs where the cost-benefit of a lab-fabricated restoration doesn’t make sense.
We begin with photographs, digital impressions, and a full evaluation of your bite, gum health, and tooth structure. If whitening would benefit your adjacent teeth, we recommend completing it before veneer placement — the veneer shade is chosen to match your post-whitening color. We present a proposed tooth shape and shade for your review before any preparation begins.
A thin layer of enamel — approximately 0.5mm — is removed from the front and edge of each tooth being veneered. Local anesthesia is used. Digital impressions of the prepared teeth are taken and sent to the laboratory. Temporary veneers are placed to protect the prepared teeth and allow you to evaluate the approximate result during the fabrication period.
The laboratory fabricates your permanent veneers over [VERIFY: confirm your lab turnaround — typically 2–3 weeks]. We review the completed veneers for shade accuracy and contour before your delivery appointment.
The temporary veneers are removed. Each permanent veneer is tried in dry before bonding — you approve the shade and shape. The tooth surface is etched, a bonding agent is applied, and the veneer is bonded with a light-cured composite resin. Any excess is removed and the bite is checked and adjusted. The process takes approximately 2 hours for a full set.
A follow-up visit at one week allows us to check the gumline adaptation, bite, and your comfort with the result. Minor polishing adjustments are made at this visit if needed.
Veneers do not require special cleaning products. Brush with a non-abrasive toothpaste (avoid whitening pastes with coarse abrasives), floss normally, and maintain your regular cleaning schedule at our office.
If you clench or grind your teeth, a custom nightguard is essential — it is the most important investment you can make to protect veneers. Avoid using veneered front teeth to bite into hard foods directly (biting through pizza crust, opening packaging, biting fingernails). These habits apply lateral force that ceramic does not handle as well as vertical chewing force.
With proper care — regular cleanings, nightguard if you grind, and avoiding hard bite habits — E-MAX porcelain veneers typically last 10–20 years. The range depends on your bite mechanics, grinding habits, and how well the margins are maintained with regular hygiene.
They don’t have to. The difference between veneers that look obvious and veneers that look natural is almost entirely in material selection, shade matching, and surface characterization — the fine details a good laboratory adds to replicate the micro-texture of natural enamel. We work with laboratories that do this well. We’ll show you examples before you commit.
No — porcelain does not respond to whitening agents. This is why we recommend whitening your natural teeth before veneer placement, so the veneer shade can be matched to your brightened baseline. After placement, maintaining the shade of your natural teeth with periodic whitening will keep the overall appearance consistent.
Small chips can sometimes be repaired chairside with composite. A cracked or significantly damaged veneer typically needs to be replaced. Because the tooth underneath has been prepared, it cannot simply be left without a restoration. This is rare with proper care, but it does happen — usually from trauma or habits that put abnormal force on the front teeth.