Veneers are a quick and easy way to improve your smile, but the actual process–which includes an initial consultation, creating your custom veneers in a lab, and the placement–-can take about 3 weeks and several appointments.
Here are the steps in getting dental veneers:
During the consultation appointment, a mold is taken of your teeth. This mold provides a perfect impression so that the veneers can be specifically for your teeth. During this appointment, your dentist will also help you select the right shade for your veneers to make sure they blend in seamlessly with your natural teeth
The mold with color selection is sent to a lab, where your veneers are custom made.
At a second appointment, your teeth will be prepared for the veneers. Using specialized tools, your dentist will gently remove some of the enamel off the teeth that are set to receive veneers. This is done so that the veneers don’t stick out too far off the tooth. It’s important that they appear and feel flush with your remaining natural teeth. If the type of veneer you’ve chosen is thicker, you may require local anesthetic as more of the enamel will need to be removed.
Temporary veneers are put into place while the permanent veneers are produced in a lab. While these look very natural, they are actually only one solid piece of material. Your dentist will file some grooves in them to give a more natural appearance.
Once the permanent veneers are finished, you will have another appointment to place them. The temporary veneers are removed and replaced with individual permanent veneers. The permanent veneers are adhered with resin cement, and your dentist will take special care to ensure that they are straight, evenly spaced and natural looking.