As with any other treatment, the first step to planning your smile makeover treatment with dental veneers is scheduling your initial consultation. Here, your dentist will examine your teeth to determine whether you’re a good candidate for dental veneer treatment. Ideally, your teeth should be healthy, with no signs of cavities, there should be no indication of gum disease, and you must have enough tooth enamel to prevent sensitivity during preparation. 

Porcelain veneers are the most common option because they are stain-resistant natural-looking, but require more tooth preparation compared to composite veneers. Composite veneers require no or minimal tooth preparation, which means they can be installed in one day. They’re also cheaper but tend to stain over time, needing replacement sooner than porcelain veneers. 

The placement of composite veneers is different from that of porcelain veneers. Here’re a few things to keep in mind:

• Composite veneers are usually placed in a single appointment. The dentist gradually adds the adhesive materials in thin layers, while shaping it and hardening it at each stage, to determine whether the defect has been adequately concealed. When the result is satisfactory, the material is polished to give it a smooth appearance. 

• Porcelain veneers, on the other hand, are fabricated in a dental laboratory. They are translucent and stain-resistant. They can also be made to closely resemble the appearance of natural teeth. Once they’re ready, they are placed in two appointments.
• In the first appointment, the teeth being treated are prepared under local anesthetic. 
• At the same time, the dentist will take impressions and fabricate temporary veneers using a template made from the 3D preview model. The temporary veneers allow you to try out your planned smile design and make fine adjustments to the final veneers while protecting the prepared tooth before the permanent porcelain veneer is ready for placement. 
• The second appointment is scheduled about two weeks later. The dentist isolated the prepared teeth from any moisture so the porcelain veneers can be fitted. 

It is important that you visit your dentist a few days after your dental veneer treatment for a check-up to ensure that all is well after you’ve had time to adjust to them in your normal routine.