Veneers, Step by Step

Before You Start: The Consultation

Porcelain veneers begin with a free consultation, with a £40 deposit refunded within 7 days of attending. We look at what bothers you about your smile and whether veneers are the right answer. Crowded or crooked teeth are usually better straightened first with Invisalign, because veneers then need far less preparation, or may not be needed at all. If only the colour bothers you, whitening may be enough. Small chips or gaps are often better treated with composite bonding, with little or no drilling.

Any decay or gum disease is treated first, so the veneers sit on healthy teeth and last. You leave with a written plan showing which teeth would change, the fee for each one, and the order of treatment. There's no obligation to go ahead.

Step 1: Smile Design

Photographs, video and an iTero Lumina scan, with no putty impressions. We design your new smile digitally, on your own face, so the proportions suit you rather than a template. The shade is matched to your skin tone, your eyes and the teeth around the veneers, and the shape follows your face, your lips and the curve of your smile. Bright doesn't have to look false, and we show you options on your own photos.

Most people show six to ten upper teeth when they smile, so veneers usually cover the teeth that show. Some people need only one or two, to match a single dark or chipped tooth. Your smile design shows exactly which teeth would change, and your written plan sets out the fee for each tooth before anything is prepared. A smile design consultation takes around ninety minutes.

Step 2: Trial Smile

The design is turned into a mould, filled with tooth-coloured material and placed over your teeth for a short time. Nothing is drilled or bonded, so it lifts off again at the same appointment. While it's in, you can check the length and shape of the teeth, how your lips and face look, how it feels when you talk, and how it photographs from every angle.

Changes are easy at this stage: longer, shorter, squarer, softer. We adjust the design until you're happy, and only then does it become the blueprint for your veneers. Our trial smile guide explains what to look for. Nothing permanent happens until you've approved the design.

Step 3: Preparing the Teeth

The teeth are numbed with local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure rather than pain. A thin layer of enamel, usually around half a millimetre, is gently removed so the veneers sit naturally and don't look bulky. We keep preparation to a minimum, and the approved design tells us exactly how much is needed on each tooth. This step can't be undone, which is why the trial smile comes first.

The prepared teeth are scanned with the iTero Lumina and the scan goes to the laboratory that makes your porcelain. Temporary veneers protect your teeth and keep you smiling while the porcelain is made. Treat them gently: avoid hard, sticky or very chewy foods, and tell us if one comes loose. Some sensitivity to hot and cold for a few days is common and settles.

Step 4: Fitting

At the fitting appointment the temporaries come off and each veneer is tried in and checked for fit, shade and bite before anything is bonded. If something isn't right, we'd rather send it back to the laboratory than fit it. Once you and your dentist are happy, the tooth surface is prepared, the veneers are bonded in place and set with a light, the excess cement is removed and the bite is checked and adjusted.

The veneers are then polished, and we see you for a review shortly afterwards to check the bite again and make sure the gums around the veneers are settling. From design to fitting usually takes three to four weeks.

How Long It All Takes

Usually three to four weeks from design to fit, over three visits: smile design with a trial smile, preparation, and fitting. If you'd like whiter natural teeth first, add two to three weeks of home whitening and around two weeks for the shade to settle before the veneers are matched to it, because porcelain won't change colour later.

If your teeth are being straightened first with Invisalign, the veneers come at the end, which can mean several months. That's worth it: straighter teeth mean thinner veneers and less enamel removed. Your written plan sets out the order and the timing before you start, so you know what the whole journey looks like, not just the next appointment.

Porcelain Veneer Costs

From £695 per tooth at St Vincent Smile.² Your smile design and trial smile are included in your treatment fee, and most smiles involve six to ten teeth. Composite veneers, built by hand in the chair with little or no preparation, are £395 per tooth. Veneers aren't included in the dental plan discount.

Treatment of £1,500 or more can be spread through Chrysalis Finance, subject to status, interest free over 6 or 12 months or over longer terms at 14.9% APR representative. See our finance page for the terms, and our veneers cost guide for typical totals and what to check when comparing quotes.

Looking After Your Veneers

Porcelain veneers often last 10 to 15 years or more with good care. Grinding, biting hard things and changes in your gums are the most common reasons they need replacing.

• Brush twice a day and clean between your teeth every day
• Keep up your hygiene visits and dental examinations
• Wear a night guard if you grind your teeth. A custom one is £210
• Don't bite pens, nails or ice, and don't open packets with your teeth
• Porcelain resists staining, but the edges can still pick up stain from tea, coffee and smoking

Veneers can't be whitened, so if you'd like a brighter smile later, the natural teeth around them are whitened and the veneers are matched when they're eventually replaced.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.