Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are the flagship procedure in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. Their success can be traced to NASA and the space shuttle program in the late 1970’s. When NASA had trouble with missing tiles upon re-entry, they developed the method of bonding the porcelain tiles to the undercarriage. The bonding technology was adapted to dentistry and has allowed us to bond porcelain veneers directly to the tooth surface without the underlying metal substructure. The mechanical chemical bond creates an amazingly sturdy restoration, which is as strong as natural tooth structure and one that will not stain. Dr. Gaylor has specialized training in the advanced porcelain veneer bonding technology that has allowed her to successfully place thousands of these restorations since 1984.
Porcelain veneers can be very thin (as thin as a contact lens), allowing for minimal or no tooth reduction, and in some cases requires no anesthesia. Preservation of the strong enamel tooth structure provides for a longer-lasting restoration and is minimally invasive. The semi-translucent veneer can be made to match the light transmitting properties of natural teeth, and being metal free, eliminates the hated “black” marginal line found around many traditional porcelain fused to metal crowns. Exquisite natural esthetics are achieved with the restoration, and is most often used to close spaces, replace worn enamel, repair broken or chipped teeth, re-shape crooked or misaligned teeth, and to cover permanently stained or discolored teeth. Porcelain veneers or onlays are also used on back teeth, and is our preferred conservative method to restore broken molar teeth or to replace large mercury silver fillings. Our porcelain veneers and onlays appear as a natural tooth, in other words totally invisible. Visit our photo gallery to see our unbelievable results. If you have questions about porcelain veneers, please contact Cosmetic Dentistry of Atlanta for more information.
