Cosmetic Dentistry: Two examples showing how porcelain veneers can be used to make a smile look more uniform.

Porcelain veneers have become a very popular dental procedure because they offer a fairly non-invasive way to make a big change with the appearance of teeth. The digital makeovers found on this page illustrate how placing a set of veneers can be used to enhance the appearance and uniformity of a person's smile.

Digital smile makeover #1: Placing a set of porcelain veneers to get a more even look.

Dental history and concerns:

1) While generally speaking the alignment of this person's teeth is fairly regular, overall this smile gives the first impression of being ragged and uneven.

Cosmetic dentistry solutions:

1) Our "after" picture shows how making some relatively minor shape changes, primarily with just the upper teeth, can give this smile a much more uniform and even look.

a) Placing porcelain veneers on the upper teeth. - The changes we've illustrated for the upper teeth could probably be made by placing a set of porcelain veneers. As an alternative, some dentists might feel that dental crowns might make the better choice.

While different ( What is the difference between porcelain veneers and dental crowns? ), either veneers or crowns (or even some combination of both) could be used to get the same cosmetic end result we've illustrated above. It's simply for the dentist treating this case to determine which type of restoration would be the most appropriate. The decision would most likely hinge on what degree of restoration "strength" they felt was needed.

b) Smoothing off the lower teeth. - The minor changes we've illustrated for the bottom teeth could probably be made by just buffing down their biting edges a little bit with a dental drill. This is typically a quick and easy procedure that doesn't even require the use of an anesthetic.

2) An alternate approach. - In the case that expenses are a limiting factor, it might be possible to achieve our "after"-picture results using a combination of adding dental bonding to some tooth locations and buffing down and straightening out others with a dental drill.

As compared to porcelain veneers, bonded restorations typically don't last as long (due to deterioration and staining). However, as an advantage, it's usually possible to (fairly easily and inexpensively) replace or patch bonding on an as-needed basis.

Digital dental makeover #2: Giving a smile a more regular appearance by placing a set of porcelain veneers.

Dental history and concerns:

1) This 41 year old could benefit from orthodontic treatment but at this stage in his life he has decided that braces are not an alternative that he would like to consider.

That's too bad because from what we can ascertain from the "before" picture, the teeth themselves appear reasonable enough. Their color seems appropriate for a person in his age group. The biting edges of the teeth show some irregularities but nothing terribly significant.

If orthodontic treatment of some type could be used, after realigning the teeth, quite possibly no other treatment would be required. This means that little special long-term maintenance would be needed (other than periodically wearing of a retainer). In comparison, with restorations like porcelain veneers, you have to anticipate that at some time in the future they will need to be replaced.

Cosmetic dentistry solutions:

1) Placing veneers. - A set of porcelain veneers could be one way to idealize the shape and alignment of this person's teeth. (We should state that since we've made some relatively major shape changes with the eyeteeth in our "after" picture, dental crowns may be required for them. Only the dentist treating this case could make this determination.)

Actually, this is one of our favorite makeovers (we wish more people would send in pictures where the image is actually a smile rather than a grimace). The teeth look good, yet aren't overly whitened. A nice left-right symmetry and evenness has been achieved by placing the veneers.