Veneers · what to expect
What happens when you get veneers?
Composite veneers are done in one appointment, shaped onto the tooth and polished while you are in the chair. Porcelain takes two visits with lab work in between. The appointment that decides the result is the assessment, and the moment to speak up is the fitting, before anything is bonded.
What happens at the assessment?
This is the appointment that decides the result, and it is not the one people prepare for. Your teeth, gums and bite are examined and photographs and x-rays are taken, because a veneer plan is built on what is underneath rather than on what the teeth look like from the front.
Then the conversation, which matters more than any of it. What you want changed, in your words rather than in dental ones. What is realistic for your teeth. Which material suits which tooth, and critically, whether any tooth would be prepared and by how much. How much tooth is removed is worth reading before this appointment so you know what to ask.
If whitening is also in your plan, it happens before any veneer is made, because a veneer cannot be lightened afterwards.
What is the composite appointment like?
One visit, and usually no injection, because nothing is being cut away. The tooth surface is cleaned and conditioned so the material grips, then composite is placed in layers and shaped by hand directly on the tooth. Each layer is set with a bright light held close to the tooth, which is warm but not uncomfortable.
The shaping and polishing take longer than people expect, and that is the part doing the work. You will be asked to bite together, sit up, and look in a mirror before anything is finished. Use that. It is much easier to adjust the length or the shape of an edge while the dentist is still working than to come back for it.
What are the porcelain appointments like?
Two visits with the lab in between.
At the first, the shade is matched and the teeth are prepared if the plan calls for it. A scan or impression is taken and sent to the lab, and temporary veneers go on. Temporaries are useful beyond covering the teeth: they let you live with roughly the shape being proposed, so tell us what you think of them rather than putting up with them politely.
At the second, the temporaries come off and the finished veneers are tried in before they are bonded. This is the moment. Look at them in daylight if you can, from the distance people actually stand at, and say whatever you are thinking. Once porcelain is bonded, changing the shade means remaking it.
What will it feel like afterwards?
Different, for a while, and that is normal rather than a sign something is wrong. Teeth that have changed shape or length feel bulky to the tongue for a few days. Speech can be slightly odd at first if several front teeth have changed, and it settles as your tongue learns the new shape.
Where a tooth was prepared, some sensitivity to cold is common for a short period. Gums that were worked close to can be tender.
What is not normal: a sharp edge you keep catching, a veneer that feels high when you bite, or sensitivity that gets worse rather than better. Ring us for any of those. All three are quick to sort out and unpleasant to live with.
Who does the treatment?
Veneer treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental is provided by principal dentist Dr Fatima Kurnaz, a general dentist rather than a registered specialist. Porcelain work is made by dental technicians at an Australian lab, and the shade and shape they work to come from what is agreed at your appointments.
Once everything is fitted, looking after veneers covers what changes about cleaning and what to watch for.
Other questions people ask
Will I need an injection?
Often not. Composite veneers usually need no anaesthetic at all, because nothing is being cut, and minimal-prep veneers often do not either. Where a tooth is being prepared, or where a tooth is sensitive, local anaesthetic is used and your dentist will tell you beforehand rather than on the day.
How long is the appointment?
Longer than a filling, and longer the more teeth are involved. Composite work is done in one sitting, so several teeth means a long appointment rather than several visits. Ask when you book so you can plan the day around it.
Will I have a gap while porcelain is being made?
No. Where teeth have been prepared, temporary veneers cover them until the final ones are fitted. They are not as refined as the finished work, and they are more fragile, so go easy on them.
Can I see what it will look like first?
Often, yes, and it is worth asking. There are ways to preview a proposed shape before anything irreversible happens, which matters most when a plan involves preparing teeth. Raise it at the assessment.
What if I do not like the colour?
Say so at the fitting appointment, before the veneer is bonded on. That is the point where changes are straightforward. Once porcelain is bonded, changing the shade means remaking it.
Can I go back to work afterwards?
Yes for almost everyone. Your mouth may feel different and your speech can take a little adjusting if several front teeth have changed shape, but there is nothing about the appointment that stops you working.