Porcelain Veneers — Get A Confident New Smile, Without Braces

Dramatic results are possible with dental veneers, smiles can be transformed to give the patient the smile and confidence that they been dreaming about. Colour, length, shade and alignment are common changes on our patients wish list.

Porcelain veneers are harder, stronger and keep their lustre even after many years. Because they are constructed in a laboratory the ceramic technician can reach their full potential with their artistic skills and precision when they have time to give their best results. Porcelain veneers in most cases are best if we carry out some tooth preparation to allow for the thickness of the veneer to blend in at the margins to give the best aesthetic result.

Porcelain veneers are more costly than composite veneers. Composite veneers sometimes require less preparation and can be complete in one visit. They usually cost less and can be the treatment of choice for minor changes. Composite veneers do not hold their surface shine as well as porcelain veneers. Composite veneers are not as strong as porcelain veneers, so they are more prone to chipping, staining, wear, and normally have short life spans then porcelain veneers.

Cosmetic Dental was established in 1988, it was a pioneer to meet the growing demand for cosmetic dentistry in New Zealand. Since 1988 they have completed a lot of veneer cases, this has enabled us to track their cases and make ongoing improvements with advancing technologies to give the best possible results.

There are many dentists who go to a one day course on veneers, and watch a few Youtube clips on veneers, then give it a go. Experience is vital to achieving great results with veneers. A lot of veneers cases done at Cosmetic Dental are removing veneers that patients are not happy with, which have been treated by a local and oversea dentist.

Dr Michael Kan has completed post-graduate training in restorative dentistry at the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in Sydney, and mentors other colleagues in improving their veneers skills.

After a full examination to see what the patient is looking for, a plan is formulated with options and cost. Often a mock-up is done to show the patient simulation to give them an idea on the style we are aiming for. This may involve computer simulation (known as DSD or digital smile design), mockup on photos, and a wax or printed model of the new mocked up smile design.

Once we have the patients approval we get our highly skilled dental ceramicist to look at the facial balance, and shade selection. At the next appointment the teeth are prepared, impressions are taken so we can construct the veneers in a ceramic laboratory. Temporary veneers are placed using the waxed mock-up, this allows us to access the direction of the changes to the smile and further make changes if needed.

Five to 10 working days later at the next appointment, the new porcelain veneers are bonded to give the patient a new smile.

We have patients who had porcelain veneers placed 30 years ago, and a lot of cases placed 15 to 20 years ago which still look fantastic. There are the odd veneers that debond which can be re-bonded. Like natural teeth, a veneer can chip, or wear if the patient grinds their teeth. Sometimes the gums can recede as with non veneered teeth, patient can have the veneers replaced to solve this.

After 4 to 5 years composite veneers can show signs of wear, staining and chipping, they can be replaced with new composite veneers, but many of our patients replace them with porcelain veneers.

The cost of veneers depends on the following variables as follows;

1. The type of material the veneers are made of generally have the biggest impact on the cost, the two most common materials are composite, and porcelain.
2. Composite veneers cost between $450 to $1,200 each
   Porcelain veneers cost between $1,600 to $2,195 each
3. Complexity to place the veneers, this mostly impacts composite veneers which are commonly done in one appointment.

The cost of front teeth porcelain veneers is usually calculated by the number of teeth multiply by the cost of each veneers ($1,600 to $2,195 each).

The cost of composite veneers is usually determined by the length of time they take to place and complete ($450 to $1,200 each).