Chicago Porcelain Veneers

The smile of your dreams can be yours with porcelain veneers. Porcelain is a beautiful restorative material. It can perfectly mimic the appearance of natural tooth structure in color, in translucency, and in surface texture. Additionally, it will not wear, deteriorate, or discolor if it is properly maintained, and it is harder than natural tooth enamel.

But it's not the material that makes the beautiful smile makeover, it's the dentist. The dentist has to be an artist who is passionate about creating beautiful smiles. And he or she has to listen, because what is beautiful to the dentist may not be beautiful to you. So listening is the first rule. When we create a smile for you, we are treating your self-image. And if you don't love the final result so that you are proud to smile rather than self-conscious, the treatment is a failure. We invest a lot of energy into listening to you. We want to know exactly how you feel about your teeth, the impression you want to make with your new smile, as well as the exact shape and whiteness you want to achieve. Dr. Paul Landman, or Dr. Carole Landman, will design your new smile taking every detail into consideration, such as your facial shape, hair color, complexion, and the color of your surrounding teeth. During the smile makeover process, we use advanced computer imaging technology to help you visualize the smile of your dreams.

Shown below is an example of a transformation of one of our patients at Landman Dental Associates. In the before and after images, you can see how porcelain veneers were used to dramatically improve the appearance of the smile. Please note, this patient's gums were lifted using gum contouring before the veneers were placed.

Before	After

The Porcelain Veneer Solution

Porcelain veneers are very thin shells of porcelain that are shaped to fit precisely over your natural teeth. They offer a solution to a number of cosmetic problems. Depending on the natural alignment of your teeth, we can use this technique to satisfy any of the following issues:

Gaps Between Teeth: If you have small gaps between your teeth, porcelain veneers can make your teeth look larger.
Crooked Teeth: By shaping the veneer and underlying tooth to compensate for mild crookedness, we can create the appearance of perfectly aligned teeth without actually having to straighten them. Sometimes they are called "instant orthodontics."
Misshapen Teeth: We will ensure that your veneers are perfectly shaped to enhance your smile. If you have teeth that are too thin or short, a veneer will provide a more pleasing shape.
Chips: The application of a porcelain veneer over the chipped edges of a tooth can make the appearance natural and flawless.
Tooth Discoloration: For tooth discoloration, veneers can mask that color with whatever shade you desire.

The Porcelain Veneer Procedure

After we have discussed the smile design that would be appropriate for your case and you have selected the design you want and the color you want, the next step is to prepare your teeth.

There may be some shaping of the teeth, if they are out of alignment. Usually a slight finish line needs to be created so that when the porcelain is applied over your teeth, the end result will be a seamless transition from tooth to porcelain.

The photograph at the right shows a porcelain veneer being held over a prepared tooth. It is difficult to see, but there is a slight amount of tooth structure that has been shaved away, and a small lip is present on the tooth. The veneer fits right into the prepared area so that the final result looks exactly like a tooth with no unnatural bumps or extra thickness.

The picture also shows how thin the porcelain veneer is. It is about 0.5 millimeter thick, about the thickness of a fingernail.

When we have received your new veneers back from the laboratory, we will try them on to make sure they fully meet your expectations. We have a beautiful smile guarantee, which means that you have to absolutely love your new smile, or it will be sent back to the laboratory for revision or remaking until you do. Once you indicate that you love how your new smile looks, Dr. Landman will bond them to your teeth with a powerful resin. When the application process is complete the veneers will be seamlessly shaped and their appearance will be almost undetectable. No one will ever know that you are wearing veneers. We guarantee you will absolutely love your new smile!