How to Design Your Veneers

Veneers are the newest and easiest way for dentists to re-design a smile. Veneers are made of a thin layer of porcelain that bonds to the front of the tooth, much like a fake fingernail is applied over the top of a real fingernail. A dentist usually designs the veneers, and a dental laboratory fabricates them. While it is not possible for a patient to actually design her own veneers, she certainly can assist the dentist by being open and honest about her expectations, and actively being involved in the designs.

Instructions

• 1

  Schedule a consultation with a dentist that specializes in cosmetic dentistry. Dentists who frequently make veneers usually have the capability of making them on-site with a machine called a Cerec. It creates the veneer while the patient waits.

• 2

  Allow the dentist to give a complete oral examination, including full mouth x-rays. These are necessary to check the bone level of the teeth and ensure there are no re-existing conditions, such as gum disease, that would exclude a patient from being a candidate for veneers.

• 3

  Discuss the treatment options with the dentist. Let him know that it is important for you, to assist in the design of the veneers. A dentist, is usually more than happy to have the input from the patient, preferring a happy patient to a dissatisfied one in the long run. Ask to see before and after photos of other patients. Asking for references can always be helpful in establishing trust in the dentist's capability.

• 4

  Bring pictures of smiles you have seen that inspire thoughts about shape and color. While the dentist is using your own teeth as his canvas, you need to take certain characteristics into consideration, when designing the veneers. For example, the size of the natural teeth, bite, patient's hair and eye color and shape of the face.

• 5

  Make realistic expectations about the finished results. For example, You may think Uma Thurman has the perfect smile, but no matter what the dentist does, you will not have Uma Thurman's smile. He can, however, take the shape of her teeth into consideration and apply them to the veneers.

• 6

  Decide on a plan of action with the dentist, and schedule an appointment to get started.