Porcelain Veneer

A porcelain veneer is the ideal choice for those seeking the finest, longest lasting restorations available in the world today. Porcelain veneers have become a very popular treatment choice for cosmetic dentists, prosthodontists and a growing number of general dentists. Their success can be traced to NASA and the space shuttle program in the late 1970's. Having trouble with missing tiles during re-entry, NASA developed a method of bonding the porcelain tiles to the space shuttle's undercarriage. This bonding technology was adapted to dentistry, and allowed us to bond porcelain directly to the tooth surface. The mechanical chemical bond creates an amazingly sturdy restoration, which is as strong as natural tooth structure and one that will not stain.

Common Uses of Porcelain Laminate Veneers: 

1. Restore decay, erosion, attrition, tooth loss
2. Create uniformity of surface morphology
3. Improve symmetry and orientation
4. Change shapes – length, width
5. Change chroma and value or brightness 
6. Changing occlusion

Porcelain Veneer Characteristics

The porcelain veneer can be very thin (as thin as 0.2mm), allowing for minimal or no tooth reduction, and in some cases requires no anesthesia. Preservation of the strong enamel tooth structure provides for a longer-lasting tooth and is minimally invasive. The semi-translucent veneer can be made to match the light transmitting properties of natural teeth, and being metal-free, eliminates the hated "black" marginal line found around traditional porcelain to metal crowns. Exquisite natural esthetics are achieved with this restoration, and it is most often used to close spaces, replace worn enamel, repair broken or chipped teeth, re-shape crooked or misaligned teeth, and to cover permanently stained or discolored teeth. The porcelain veneer will appear as a natural tooth, in other words totally invisible.

Example of a feldspathic porcelain veneer that is so thin at the margin, it exhibits a contact lens effect.  If the margin blends into the root, then no matter how much future recession, the veneer will always be attractive.

Example of porcelain veneers on the six upper front teeth.  It is very difficult to achieve both brightness of shade while preserving translucency.  This is an example of Empress porcelain that allows for both optical properties.

Feldspathic porcelain veneers have been placed on the front six upper teeth of this Winnetka resident to give a more uniform symmetry and to fill the gaps or spaces between her teeth.  This patient wanted natural tooth shading and surface textures so that noone could tell that she had dentistry done.  Feldspathic porcelain veneers have optical properties that are most like natural enamel.

E Max porcelain veneers have been placed on the upper front 6 teeth.  This patient wanted to blend the new brighter veneers on the front teeth with the darker back teeth.

Upper fron 6 teeth are feldspathic porcelain veneers.  These veneers were employed to brighten the smile and to modify the shapes of the teeth.

 

 

Dr. James Fondriest is proud to serve the Chicago North Shore suburbs of Lake Bluff, Libertyville, Vernon Hills,  Gurnee, Grayslake, Winnetka, Highland Park, Northbrook, Northfield, Glenview, Lincolnshire, Deerfield, and Barrington.