What Are Dental Veneers?
Similar to dental crowns, veneers are coverings placed on teeth. However, unlike dental crowns, which cover an entire tooth to protect it from damage or decay, veneers are bonded to the front of your teeth to improve the appearance of your smile.
At Stellenwerf Dental Studio, we offer durable porcelain veneers for patients who want to mask a wide range of dental imperfections, including chipped teeth, gaps, stains, crooked teeth, and more. Dr. Viviana Stellenwerf works closely with each patient, offering personalized solutions to help everyone attain the smile they want. Whether you want to improve the color, size, shape, or length of your teeth, porcelain veneers offer a no-hassle solution. Schedule an appointment at our Kingwood, TX, practice to learn more about dental veneers and get help deciding whether they are appropriate for your goals.
Our Recent Veneer Patients
What Can I Expect From My Veneer Treatment?
During your consultation visit with Dr. Stellenwerf, we will take radiographs, capture photos of your smile, scan your teeth with our intraoral scanner, and perform a smile simulation so you can see what your future smile could be. If you’d like to move forward with the smile design, we will send the records to our high-end lab to create a smile design customized specifically for you.
At the prep appointment, we conservatively prepare the teeth and, if necessary, contour the gums. At the end of the appointment, you will leave with your temporary veneers to test drive your smile. You will be given 24 hours to ensure you are happy with your new smile. You will return to the office the next day for the final scan of the temporary veneers. This is what the lab will use to make your handmade porcelain veneers. Our goal is to ensure that the veneers look as natural as possible.
Now Offering No-Prep Veneers
What are no-prep veneers? No-prep veneers are a modern way to create a beautiful smile while very minimally smoothing out specific areas of the tooth to ensure the most aesthetically pleasing result. In some cases, the teeth do not have to be prepared at all. Find out if you are a candidate by scheduling a consultation today!
At Stellenwerf Dental Studio, our goal is to be as conservative as possible with smile makeovers. Preserving tooth structure is the main motive behind every transformation.
Hear Directly From Our Veneers Patients
What Are the Benefits of Porcelain Veneers?
If you find yourself trying to hide your smile because of dental imperfections, you might be an ideal candidate for veneers. The benefits of porcelain veneers at our Kingwood, TX practice include:
- Improved confidence and a look that you can enjoy for a long time
- Little to no upkeep required (other than your standard oral hygiene habits)
- Veneers can also correct bite issues and severe wear on the teeth. In cases of severe wear, veneers result in a more youthful smile and can even slim out the face in some cases
Veneers FAQ
How should I care for my porcelain veneers?
To keep your veneers looking their best, brush them daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush and nonabrasive toothpaste. For a deeper clean that reaches your gumline, use mouthwash, dental floss, or a water flosser. Avoid over-brushing.
Will porcelain veneers damage my teeth?
In no-prep and minimal-prep cases, very little enamel is removed from the tooth surface, reducing the risk of sensitivity. Being conservative allows us to preserve tooth structure.
How long do porcelain veneers last?
When applied and cared for correctly, porcelain veneers can last 10 to 15 years. To maximize their longevity, maintain a thorough oral hygiene routine with regular brushing and flossing. It’s also advisable to avoid hard foods, crunching ice, nail biting, and opening things with your teeth to keep your veneers in optimal shape.
What color veneers should I get?
Selecting the ideal shade for your veneers is a collaborative process designed to achieve a bright yet natural-looking smile. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, we utilize professional shade guides to evaluate how different tones complement your unique facial features, including skin tone and the color of your sclera (the whites of your eyes).
While you have the flexibility to choose a significantly lighter shade than your natural teeth, the goal is to maintain harmony; excessively opaque or bleached-white shades often appear artificial. At Stellenwerf Dental Studio, we guide you in balancing luminosity with translucency to ensure your new smile looks both vibrant and authentic.
What are veneers made of?
Veneers are primarily crafted from high-quality dental ceramics, with several specialized porcelain types available to suit different aesthetic and functional needs. At Stellenwerf Dental Studio, located in Kingwood, Texas, we recommend the following veneer types:
Emax veneers, made from lithium disilicate glass-ceramic, are renowned for their exceptional strength and durability, making them ideal for long-lasting restorations.
Feldspathic porcelain is often regarded as the most natural-looking option. Because it is applied in delicate layers, it best replicates the multi-layered translucency and depth of natural tooth enamel, allowing for a seamless integration with your existing smile.
When are veneers medically necessary?
While veneers are often categorized as a cosmetic procedure, they offer significant functional benefits in specific clinical scenarios. When patients have cavities or minor structural decay in their front teeth, veneers can provide a more durable and uniform restorative option than traditional composite fillings.
Additionally, repeated fillings are prone to marginal staining and can weaken over time; veneers provide a protective, seamless layer that masks these imperfections while reinforcing the tooth’s structure.
By integrating aesthetic enhancement with functional stability, veneers provide a long-lasting alternative that ensures your smile’s health and appearance remain consistent.
Are veneers only on the front side of the tooth?
While veneers are traditionally designed as facial-surface restorations to enhance the appearance of the front surfaces of the teeth, their application can be expanded to meet specific clinical needs. In cases involving a collapsed bite or significant wear, veneers may be designed to extend onto the biting (incisal) surface of the tooth.
In these specialized scenarios, veneers serve a vital restorative purpose by helping to “open” the bite and restore the proper vertical dimension of the mouth. This comprehensive approach offers both functional stability and aesthetic benefits, providing a more robust solution than standard cosmetic applications alone.
Can you get one veneer tooth?
While it is technically possible to place a single veneer, this approach is rarely recommended due to the extreme artistic and technical challenges involved. Achieving a perfect match in color, translucency, and surface texture with adjacent natural teeth is exceptionally difficult, as natural teeth have unique characterizations that are hard to replicate in isolation.
For a truly cohesive and symmetrical smile, our veneer specialists generally prefer to treat the front teeth as a group. This ensures a uniform appearance across the most visible part of your smile, providing a seamless transition and a more polished, natural-looking result. Lastly, fixing just one tooth leads to a more aggressive tooth preparation. The more teeth that are planned for veneers, the more conservative we can be.
How many veneers should I get?
To achieve a balanced and aesthetically pleasing smile, our veneer dentists recommend the “4-8-10 rule.” This principle helps determine the ideal number of veneers based on the width of your natural smile line. Opting for 8 to 10 veneers typically allows the restoration to extend far enough into the corners of the mouth, ensuring that the transition between the veneered teeth and your natural teeth is seamless.
A smaller number of veneers may result in a visible contrast or “stopped” appearance mid-arch, which can disrupt the natural look of your smile. Our goal is to create a cohesive result that blends harmoniously with your natural dentition.
Can I bite into an apple with veneers?
When veneers are applied using precise, professional bonding protocols, they offer exceptional functional reliability and high fracture resistance, effectively restoring the tooth’s structural strength. This advanced adhesive process allows you to enjoy a wide range of foods, including apples, with confidence.
Typically, issues encountered with harder or chewier foods stem from improper bonding techniques or underlying alignment discrepancies. At Stellenwerf Dental Studio in Kingwood, Texas, we emphasize rigorous bonding standards and careful occlusion planning to ensure your veneers are not only aesthetically beautiful but also durable enough to withstand the natural forces of biting and chewing.
Unveil Your Best Smile With Porcelain Veneers
With customized porcelain veneers at Stellenwerf Dental Studio, anyone in the Kingwood, TX area can enjoy the confidence that comes with a natural, beautiful smile. With a variety of treatment options to meet your goals, Dr. Stellenwerf will help you quickly improve the appearance of your smile with cosmetic veneers. To learn more, schedule a veneers consultation with our team.