3737 E State Route 36, Decatur, IL, 62521
Custom Porcelain Facings Bonded to the Front of Your Teeth
A porcelain veneer is a thin, individually crafted shell bonded permanently to the visible surface of a tooth. Each one is made for one specific tooth in one specific mouth, with the shade, translucency, surface texture and contour selected as part of a complete smile design rather than tooth by tooth.
Porcelain is the reason veneers look the way they do. It transmits light through its thickness much as natural enamel does, so a veneer has depth instead of appearing painted on. Porcelain also resists staining far better than natural enamel and composite resin, which is why veneered teeth hold their color through years of coffee and red wine.
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What a Veneer Case Can Accomplish
- Deep staining that whitening cannot resolve, including tetracycline discoloration and internal darkening
- Chips and fractures across multiple front teeth, corrected uniformly
- Gaps and spacing closed cleanly without orthodontic treatment
- Mild crowding or rotation, visually corrected when teeth are close to aligned
- Short, worn or uneven teeth, restored to proportion with an even smile line
- Misshapen teeth, reshaped into forms that suit the rest of your faceLong term stain resistance, holding the result you paid for
Are You a Good Candidate for Veneers?
The prerequisites are healthy teeth and healthy gums. Active decay must be treated and periodontal disease stabilized first, because veneers bonded to a compromised foundation will not last. You also need adequate enamel, since the bond between porcelain and enamel is what holds a veneer in place for the long run.
Veneers are an excellent fit for patients addressing several front teeth at once and wanting a durable, stain resistant result. They are less suited to significant orthodontic problems, where moving teeth into position produces a healthier bite than covering them, and patients who grind heavily need a night guard as a condition of treatment. Bruxism is the leading cause of veneer fracture.
Our evaluation includes digital X-rays to confirm the teeth and bone are sound, intraoral camera imaging so you can see the current condition of each tooth, and a conversation about what is realistic before anything irreversible happens.
How Your Smile Is Designed and Built
Veneer treatment is planned before it is performed. That planning stage is what separates a natural result from an obviously artificial one.
01
Consultation and Smile Design
We evaluate your smile, facial features, and discuss the changes you want to achieve.
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Records and Planning
Photos, X-rays, and scans are taken to design your ideal smile before treatment begins.
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Preview and Approval
You review the proposed shape and look, so you know what to expect.
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Tooth Preparation
A minimal amount of enamel is gently removed to ensure a natural fit.
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Impressions and Temporaries
Final impressions are taken, and temporary veneers are placed while your custom veneers are created.
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Final placement
Your veneers are checked for fit and appearance, then bonded in place and polished for a seamless finish.
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Living With Veneers Day to Day
Veneers are cared for essentially like natural teeth: brush twice daily, floss every day, and keep your recall visits. A non abrasive toothpaste is worth using, since heavily abrasive formulas dull the polished porcelain surface over time.
The porcelain itself will not stain, but the natural tooth structure at the margins can, and the cement line is where discoloration becomes visible. That is what makes daily flossing genuinely important. Avoid biting hard objects such as ice, nails, pens and bottle caps, since porcelain is strong under compression but can chip under a sharp point load. If you grind, wear the night guard consistently. Veneers commonly last well over a decade, and grinding is the single biggest variable in whether they reach that.
What to Understand Before You Commit
Veneers are a permanent decision, and you deserve to know that clearly rather than discover it later. Because a thin layer of enamel is removed during preparation, the teeth will always require veneers or crowns from that point forward. Enamel does not regenerate. If a veneer eventually needs replacement, the process is straightforward, but there is no returning to an unveneered tooth.
Some patients experience temporary sensitivity to cold for a few weeks after preparation, which typically resolves as the teeth settle. We take time at the consultation to make sure you understand the commitment, and we will suggest bonding or whitening instead when those would meet your goals without the same permanence.
Investment, Payment and Financing Options
Veneers are elective cosmetic treatment, so dental insurance generally does not provide coverage. The exception is a tooth being restored after trauma or significant structural damage, where a portion of the treatment may qualify as restorative. We verify your plan and tell you exactly where your case stands rather than leaving you to find out from the claim.
Because a veneer case represents a meaningful investment, we provide a written itemized estimate covering every tooth before treatment begins, with no additions appearing later. CareCredit financing lets many patients spread the cost across monthly payments, and we accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Treatment can also be phased where that suits your budget better.
A Smile You Stop Thinking About Is the Goal
If you have spent years hiding your teeth in photographs, a veneer consultation is a straightforward place to start. Call 217-423-2400 or request an appointment.
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