Elmhurst Cosmetic Dentist Explains How Teeth are Prepped to Receive Dental Veneers

Written by Dr. Scharfenberg on Oct 1, 2012

Elmhurst Cosmetic Dentist Explains How Teeth are Prepped to Receive Dental Veneers

Mark was anxious to rejuvenate his smile using dental veneers. One of his friends had recently received veneers, and Mark had been wowed by the results. When Mark came in for his consultation with our Elmhurst cosmetic dentists, he had one major concern—what would have to happen to his teeth in order to make veneers fit comfortably?

We walked him through the tooth-prep process for dental veneers. Today I’m going to share with you what I shared with Mark, so that you can understand what exactly happens in the first stages of dental veneers treatment.

Dental veneers are thin layers of porcelain that are placed on existing teeth. Now because these layers of porcelain are going to be affixed to the outer surfaces of the tooth, the natural tooth must be reduced somewhat in order to make the veneer fit comfortably on the tooth (and not look bulky).

During this appointment we’ll administer a local anesthesia to keep you comfortable during treatment. Then we simply shave off some surface area of the tooth—usually a patient has bout ½ of a millimeter of dental matter removed from each tooth.

It is only once your tooth is shaved down that we can make an impression of your tooth. Once the impression is made, your veneers will be crafted in a dental laboratory. In one to two weeks we’ll place the actual permanent veneer, and because it was crafted from a mold of your specific smile, your veneers will fit seamlessly in your mouth.

After we explained this process to Mark he was ready to proceed with dental veneers treatment. After just three appointments Mark achieved the smile he’d been dreaming of—and he’s been thrilled with his smile ever since! Dental veneers can be used to correct one tooth or an entire smile, just give our Elmhurst cosmetic dental office a call to learn more about what’s possible.