Porcelain Veneers in Vestal, NY

Veneers are the cosmetic treatment people arrive already having decided on, usually after looking at photographs of somebody else's teeth. They are also the one with the most consequential trade-off attached, so this page spends most of its time on the decision rather than on the sales pitch.

Veneers or Bonding? Start Here

These two treatments fix a lot of the same complaints, and the right choice is rarely about which is better in the abstract.

Bonding is tooth-colored composite, shaped by hand directly onto your tooth in one appointment. It usually removes little or no enamel. It costs considerably less, it can be repaired or added to easily, and it is largely undoable. It stains over time the way natural teeth do, and it typically needs refreshing every several years.

Veneers are thin porcelain shells made in a lab or milled here, bonded to the front of the tooth. Porcelain does not stain, catches light more like real enamel, and lasts considerably longer. It costs more, can often be milled in-office with our CEREC system rather than sent to a lab, and requires removing a thin layer of enamel that does not grow back.

What Veneers Fix Well

Discoloration that whitening cannot touch, including tetracycline staining and teeth that darkened after trauma. Chips and worn edges. Teeth that are slightly crooked or rotated, where the appearance can be corrected without orthodontics. Gaps. Teeth that are noticeably small or misshapen relative to their neighbors. And unevenness across several teeth at once, which is where porcelain really earns its cost, because every one is made to a single plan.

Our before and after gallery is worth more than any description here, because cosmetic work is judged by eye and by nothing else. Where several teeth and the bite are being reworked together, that becomes a smile makeover rather than a set of veneers.

What They Do Not Fix

Veneers are a facing on the front of a tooth. They do not strengthen a tooth that is structurally compromised, which is a crown's job. They do not treat gum disease, and placing them over inflamed or receding gums produces a result that looks wrong within a couple of years, so gum health comes first without exception. They will not correct a significantly misaligned bite, and attempting to disguise one with porcelain usually ends in chipped veneers.

If your teeth are healthy and straight and only the color bothers you, whitening is a far smaller intervention and you should try that first. We will tell you that rather than sell you eight veneers.

The Part That Is Irreversible

Preparing a tooth for a veneer means removing a thin layer of enamel, usually a fraction of a millimeter, to make room for the porcelain and give it something to bond to. That enamel does not regenerate. From then on, that tooth needs a veneer or a crown on it for life. If a veneer fractures in fifteen years, you replace it. You do not go back to the tooth you had.

That is not a reason to avoid veneers. It is a reason to be certain, and to be wary of anyone who does not raise it before taking an impression. Some cases genuinely need very little or no reduction, and your dentist will tell you which kind yours is after looking rather than as a selling point. Our Learning Center also covers bonding versus veneers in detail.

How Long They Last, and What Shortens It

Well made porcelain veneers, well cared for, routinely last well over a decade and often considerably longer. What ends them early is almost always one of three things.

Grinding. Bruxism is hard on porcelain and is the most common cause of premature failure. If you grind, a custom night guard is part of the treatment rather than an optional extra, and we will plan for it from the start.

Gum recession. As gums recede, the margin where porcelain meets tooth becomes visible as a line. Good gum health slows this considerably.

Using teeth as tools. Opening packaging, biting nails, chewing ice and pens. Porcelain is strong in compression and vulnerable to a sharp point load.

Veneer Questions We Hear

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  How many veneers will I need?
  Fewer than you might expect, and the honest answer depends on how wide your smile is when you actually smile. Some people show six upper teeth, some show ten. Matching a single veneer to natural neighbors is the hardest thing in cosmetic dentistry and is sometimes the right call anyway. We will work out what shows, what needs to match what, and give you the smallest number that achieves the result rather than the largest number we could justify.
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  Will they look obviously fake?
  Only if they are designed to. The uniform, very bright, very square look people associate with bad veneers is a design decision, not an inevitability. Natural teeth vary slightly in length and shade, have translucency at the edges, and are not perfectly symmetrical. A good result reproduces that. Tell us at the planning stage how natural or how dramatic you want it, and bring photographs of results you like and results you do not.
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  Can I see the result before committing?
  Yes, and you should. Cosmetic cases are planned from photographs, models and a design before a single tooth is touched, and there are trial techniques that let you see a proposed shape in your own mouth first. Nobody should be agreeing to a permanent change to their front teeth based on a verbal description. If you are not shown a plan, ask for one.
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  Do they need special care?
  Brush and floss exactly as you would otherwise, because the tooth underneath can still decay and the gum around it can still become inflamed. Avoid heavily abrasive whitening toothpastes, which dull the glaze over time. Wear your night guard if grinding is in the picture. Keep your regular checkups so we can inspect the margins. That is the whole list.
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  Can I whiten my teeth after getting veneers?
  The veneers will not change color, so whitening afterward only lightens the natural teeth around them and can throw the match off. Whitening comes first, always, then the veneers are matched to the settled shade. If you think whitening might be something you want someday, say so at planning and we will account for it. Our whitening page covers the order in more detail.
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  What do veneers cost, and does insurance help?
  Cost is per tooth and varies with the case, so we quote after planning rather than over the phone. Insurance generally does not cover purely cosmetic veneers, though there are cases with a restorative justification where some coverage applies, and we will tell you which yours is. You will have a written figure before anything begins. Our payment options page covers the financing available, which is how most cosmetic cases are handled.