Porcelain Veneers are artistically designed custom thin porcelain layers that are bonded on to teeth and are generally recommended to improve the following dental conditions:

• Spaces between front teeth
• Permanently stained teeth
• Cracked or chipped teeth
• Slightly crooked or misshaped teeth
• Worn teeth

We customize the veneers to match the color of your existing teeth-or you may choose to create a whiter smile by combining tooth whitening with your new veneers. Spaces between teeth can be closed, stains and cracks disappear. Veneers require more than one appointment to complete. During the first visit we carefully prepare and contour the tooth. Then an impression is taken, which is sent to our highly qualified technicians who design the Custom Veneers based on our prescription. It usually takes 7-10 days for the veneers to be back. During this period the patient wears temporary veneers that are custom crafted.

White fillings, also called composite fillings, are made from tooth-colored materials that restore the natural apperance of the tooth. A composite filling usually requires one visit, during which the tooth is prepared and restored. After the decay is removed, an adhesive followed by several thin layers of composite is applied to the tooth. Once the filling is in place, it is chemically activated for less than a minute with a special light. Composites are prefered for obvious cosmetic reasons, but if the decay area is too large or subject to heavy chewing pressure, we may recommend another type of material or restoration.

Replacing large fillings in back teeth often requires stronger, more precisely contoured restorations. These are called inlays or onlays depending on whether they are being placed inside the tooth or on its outer surface. Onlays protect teeth similarly to crowns, but conserve more natural tooth structure. These restorations need to be custom-made at an off-site dental lab; therefore, two visits may be required.

A crown is a restoration that covers the entire tooth surface restoring it to its original shape and size. They are used to restore chipped or broken teeth and strengthen tooth structure that cannot be restored with fillings or other types of restorations.

Although there are several types of crowns, porcelain (tooth colored crown) are the most aesthetic, because they resemble your natural teeth. These crowns can possess a translucency that makes them the most cosmetically pleasing of all the different types of dental crowns.

Reasons for crowns:

• Broken or fractured teeth.
• Decayed teeth.
• Large fillings.
• Tooth has a root canal.
• Tooth size discrepancy.

Procedure

A crown procedure usually requires two appointments. Your first appointment will include preparing the tooth surface for the crown, taking several highly accurate molds (or impressions) that will be used to create your custom crown. Then a temporary crown will be fabricated, which will stay on your tooth for approximately two weeks until your new crown is ready for delivery.

At your second appointment your temporary crown will be removed, the tooth will be cleaned, and your new crown will be carefully placed to ensure the spacing and bite is accurate.