Porcelain Veneers in Jersey City

Veneers are thin shells of porcelain bonded to the front of your teeth. They change colour, shape, small gaps and chips in a way nothing else quite matches. They are also permanent, because healthy enamel has to be removed to fit them, and that is the part this page will not gloss over.

We are at 115 Christopher Columbus Drive, Suite 200, two minutes from the Grove Street PATH. To talk through whether they are right for you, call 201-425-8600 or request an appointment.

What veneers can and cannot do

They work well for

• Deep staining that whitening will not shift, including tetracycline marking and dark single teeth
• Chipped or worn edges on front teeth
• Small gaps between the front teeth
• Teeth that are slightly small, oddly shaped or uneven
• Mildly crooked front teeth, where the tooth is otherwise healthy

They are the wrong tool for

• Significantly crooked teeth. Straighten them with Invisalign first and you will need far less drilling, or possibly none
• Heavily filled or broken-down teeth, which need a crown rather than a veneer
• Active decay or gum disease, both of which are treated first without exception
• Teeth you grind at night, unless the grinding is addressed as part of the plan

The thing to understand before you commit

To make room for the porcelain without leaving your teeth looking bulky, a thin layer of enamel is removed from the front of each tooth. Usually a fraction of a millimetre, but enamel does not grow back.

That means the decision is effectively permanent. Once a tooth is prepared for a veneer it will need a veneer or a crown on it for the rest of your life. When the veneer eventually needs replacing, you replace it; you do not go back to the tooth you had.

This is not a reason to avoid veneers. It is a reason to be sure, and to look hard at the alternatives below first. Any practice that does not raise this with you is not giving you the full picture.

Cheaper things to try first

We would rather talk you out of unnecessary treatment than sell you eight veneers you did not need. Often a combination gets most of the way there:

• Whitening if the problem is mainly colour. It costs a fraction as much and removes nothing.
• Bonding, where tooth-coloured composite is added to repair a chip or close a small gap. Cheaper, done in one visit, and usually reversible. It does not last as long and picks up stain over the years, but as a way to try a shape before committing it is hard to beat.
• Straightening if the issue is position rather than colour or shape.
• Reshaping, a tiny amount of smoothing to even up edges, which sometimes achieves more than people expect.

Sometimes the honest answer after all that is still veneers. But you will have arrived at it knowing why.

Porcelain or composite

Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory and bonded on at a second visit. They look the most like real enamel because light passes into them in a similar way, they resist staining very well, and they commonly last ten to fifteen years or more. They cost more and require the preparation described above.

Composite veneers are built up by hand, directly on the tooth, in a single appointment. Much cheaper, far less or sometimes no drilling, and repairable if they chip. They stain over time, typically need replacing sooner, and the finish depends entirely on the skill of whoever sculpts them.

For one chipped tooth, composite is often the sensible answer. For changing the look of the whole front of your mouth and keeping it that way, porcelain generally is.

How the treatment goes

1. Consultation. We look at your teeth and gums, take photographs, and talk about what you actually want changed. Bring a picture of what you like if you have one; it is far more useful than adjectives.
2. Planning. We design the shape and shade, and can show you a preview before anything irreversible happens. Do not skip this step, and do not let anyone rush you through it.
3. Preparation. The teeth are lightly reduced and a scan or impression taken. You leave with temporary veneers on, so you are never without front teeth.
4. Fitting. Usually two to three weeks later. We try them in and check the colour in daylight before anything is bonded permanently. If the shade is not right, it gets remade.

Most cases take two or three visits across a month.

Choosing how they look

The commonest regret with veneers is not that they failed. It is that they look like veneers: too white, too uniform, too square, obviously not yours.

Real teeth are not one flat colour, they are not identical to each other, and the front two are not the same length as the ones beside them. A good result copies that. We will guide you towards a shade that suits your face and your age, and will tell you honestly when a request will look artificial. You are, in the end, the one who decides.

Looking after them

Porcelain does not decay, but the tooth underneath it does, and the join at the gum line is where problems start. So they need the same brushing, the same cleaning between the teeth, and the same check-ups as anything else.

A few specifics. Porcelain is strong in compression but brittle in a sharp knock, so do not open packaging with your teeth or bite ice. If you grind at night you need a guard, because grinding will chip them. And if your gums recede over the years a thin line can show at the edge, which is one reason gum health is dealt with before we start.

Cost and insurance

Veneers are priced per tooth, so the total depends on how many you have. Most people treat the teeth that show when they smile rather than every front tooth, and we will help you work out where the natural stopping point is.

Dental insurance does not cover veneers. They are classed as cosmetic, and that is true of essentially every plan, so treat any quote as the amount you will pay. The exception is when a veneer or crown is genuinely restoring a broken tooth, where part may be claimable; we will tell you if that applies. See the insurance and payment page for how we handle payment.

Who does the work

Dr. Singal earned her Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the New York University College of Dentistry and plans and places the veneers herself, working with the laboratory on shade and shape. More about the practice.

We see patients from across downtown Jersey City, including Grove Street, Exchange Place, Newport and The Beacon.