Veneers in Bowen

A veneer is a thin facing bonded to the front of a tooth, used to change its shape, its colour or both. Both composite and porcelain veneers are made for patients in Bowen, which saves the drive to Townsville or Mackay for every appointment.

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The Decision That Actually Matters

Not the shade. The material.

Composite is a tooth-coloured resin the dentist builds onto the tooth by hand, usually in a single appointment, and often with little or no enamel removed. It costs less, it can be adjusted and repaired, and if you change your mind about a small case there is frequently little harm done. The trade-off is that it picks up stain over the years and needs repolishing, and it does not hold a fine edge as long as porcelain.

Porcelain is made away from the mouth by a laboratory and bonded on afterwards. It holds its colour and its surface far better and it looks like enamel because it handles light the way enamel does. It needs at least two appointments, it costs more, and in most cases it means removing some enamel first.

We do both at Bowen. Which one we recommend comes out of looking at your teeth and your bite, and is a conversation rather than a menu.

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The Porcelain We Use

We work in e.max and Feldspathic. e.max is a pressed ceramic, strong enough for cases where the bite asks a lot of a veneer. Feldspathic porcelain is built up in layers by hand and can be made very thin, which is what you want when little or no enamel is coming off and the veneer has to disappear against the teeth beside it. Having both means the material follows the case rather than the case following the material.

Impressions here can be taken digitally with our Medit i700 scanner, which for most people is easier than a tray of impression material, and it lets the laboratory work from a scan rather than a cast.

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What It Actually Involves

An examination first, because a veneer over an unhealthy tooth is a short-term decision. We check for decay, look at the gums, and look at how your teeth meet, since a bite that grinds will break porcelain regardless of who makes it. If you clench or grind, a night guard usually needs to be part of the plan.

Then the design. Shape and proportion matter more than shade, and it is worth taking time over what you actually want, because porcelain is not adjusted afterwards the way composite is.

Be clear about this part: where enamel is removed, that is permanent. The tooth will need a veneer or a crown on it from then on. Some cases need very little preparation and some composite work needs none, but you should know which kind of case yours is before you agree to it, not afterwards.

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Whitening Comes First

Veneers are made to a chosen shade and no whitening gel will change them afterwards. So if you want lighter teeth, whiten first and let it settle, then we match the veneers to the colour you have decided to keep. Doing it the other way round leaves the veneers looking dark next to everything else.

Sometimes whitening alone is the answer and the veneers are not needed at all. We would rather tell you that at the consultation than take the larger fee.

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Two Visits, Not One

Porcelain veneers are made by a laboratory, so plan on at least two appointments: one to prepare and record the teeth, one to fit. You wear a temporary in between. Both of those appointments are here in Bowen, and we group and lengthen them where the laboratory schedule allows if you are travelling in.

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What It Costs

The fee depends on the material, the number of teeth and whether anything needs doing to the bite or the gums first. You get a written quote after the examination, so the figure is settled before anything is booked. Veneers are a cosmetic treatment, so whether your health fund contributes depends on your policy, and we check it at the desk through HICAPS. Payment plans are available, and there is more on our payment options page.