Cosmetic Dentistry for San Antonio

Dr. Craig Carlson & Dr. Yana Monarres                                 400 North Loop 1604 East                                                             210-499-4949

We Create Dream Smiles That Change Lives!

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Porcelain Veneers 

     Porcelain veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto your teeth to give you a beautiful, custom designed, smile.  Porcelain veneers can straighten, lengthen and whiten teeth to provide the desired smile and bite.

Lumineers & Other Brands of Veneers 

    There are different types and brands of dental veneers.  Many laboratories are attempting to brand their veneers in the marketplace with massive advertising.  For example, Lumineers is a brand of veneers done by the Cerinate Lab in California that is owned by the Den Mat Corp.  They require little or no tooth reduction according to Den Mat, however, they can possibly appear bulky if done on a patient that doesn't have small teeth.  Mac Veneers are the brand done by Micro Dental Lab.  DaVinci Veneers are made exclusively by DaVinci Lab.  The list goes on.

Types of Porcelain Veneers

   All veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded to the teeth.  Traditionally they are as thin as a contact lens and cover the front and biting edge of the teeth.  This design works well for covering discolored teeth and lengthening worn teeth.  With 180 degree veneers, the spaces between teeth can be closed.  A 360 degree veneer can replace an old crown and make it appear lifelike.  In fact, a porcelain veneer can be a very conservative porcelain crown. 

   Usually the teeth must be reshaped to some degree so that the porcelain veneers are not bulky and over-contoured.  Part of the outer enamel is removed to allow space for the porcelain.  This is how teeth are straightened.  We permanently bond the porcelain veneer to the underlying tooth.  Once bonded onto the tooth, they are super strong and very long-lasting.  Porcelain veneers never discolor and are more stain resistant than natural enamel.

Porcelain Veneer Procedure

   The porcelain veneer procedure takes only 2 appointments, a few weeks apart.  At the first visit the teeth are shaped to be ideal foundations for the porcelain veneers.   Impressions are then made and you will leave that day with temporary acrylic veneers. The "temporaries" look wonderful - always a major improvement that you will be happy about!  You actually get a new smile in one visit. 

   Because we create the temporaries to look like the final porcelain veneers we call this your "Trial Smile."  After you have had some time to evaluate them, we will make any changes you wish on the temporaries.   When you are sure you are happy with your new look, we will complete your porcelain veneers to look just like the temporaries.  When we bond the final veneers, they are exactly the shade, length and shape that you want.  Here is more information on the veneer smile makeover process in our office.

Before	After

 The South Texas Center for Cosmetic Dentistry