Veneers, But Not Like Those at Ikea

Everyone loves to traipse around the Costa Mesa Ikea store, appreciating the design used by the company…along with their Swedish meatballs, of course. Ikea is known for its affordable furniture and much of it relies on veneers. A dresser will have a thin veneer of a fine wood masking a lesser-looking wood that is making up the structure of the dresser. The veneers basically cover the wood beneath, presenting a more beautiful impression to anyone looking at the dresser.

Dr. Fong offers veneers, too. Only they aren’t made of teak or other fine woods. Our veneers are made of porcelain, and they provide a beautiful cover-up of the imperfections with your smile.

What are veneers?

Porcelain veneers are thin porcelain shells that are applied to the fronts of your non-molars. Porcelain veneers are designed to cover imperfections on your teeth — things like cracks, chips, misaligned teeth, overly stained teeth, misshapen teeth, and the like. It would be much more difficult, time consuming, and expensive to address these issues with treatments such as orthodontics or the placement of dental implants or crowns. But Dr. Fong can place veneers over your flaws giving you a perfect smile.

How are they applied?

Before we place veneers, we usually want the teeth as close to their natural color as possible. So, if you like your daily latte or three, we may first want to whiten your teeth to remove stains on the enamel. Dr. Fong uses… a color chart to match the color of your veneers to the natural color of your adjacent teeth that won’t receive veneers.

First, Dr. Miller prepares the teeth for veneers. To do this, he removes a very thin layer of the outer tooth enamel to make room for the veneer. Once the enamel has been shaved down on the teeth receiving veneers, we take digital photos and impressions to send to the dental lab for the creation of your veneers. While they are being created, Dr. Fong puts temporary veneers on your teeth.

When your veneers are finished you return to our Bristol Street offices for a second appointment. Dr. Fong first checks the color match and fit of each veneer. Once satisfied, he then permanently cements the veneers onto the fronts of your teeth. Now your smile is a beautiful thing for all to behold!

Duration?

Porcelain veneers last from 10-15 years. At that point, you’ll need to have a new set of veneers made and placed. You can’t opt to not have veneers again once they are originally placed, due to the enamel that is removed during the first application.

Interested in veneers without a trip to Ikea? Call Dr. Fong at (714) 549-1903 and ask about porcelain veneers.