Dental veneers are a great solution for people who suffer from dark, badly stained, chipped, or worn out teeth. They are also useful when the patient has minor gaps between teeth. Veneers are less invasive than full crowns. Tooth preparation is always less than with full crowns.

If the veneers are made in high qualities of porcelain, they are very strong and very esthetic. The veneer technology has improved greatly in recent years, and now ultra-thin porcelain veneers are available. It makes the cost and time spent on acquiring veneers worthwhile in the long run.

The first stage of dental veneers treatment involves an evaluation of the patient's existing teeth. This helps to determine the extent of the problem and how far the veneers can succeed in resolving it. A consultation with the patient is made to ensure that the dentist and the patient are equally agreeable about the veneers option. The dentist may discuss various qualities of dental veneers available so that the patients may decide which one fits into their budget and fulfills their needs in the best way.

Once the consultation process is over, the dentist usually prepares a diagnostic wax up. This is a crafted practice run that is done in wax. It enables the dentist to analyze and determine how much of tooth structure may need to be removed. It also allows the dentist to decide how best to design the occlusion and the shape of the veneers. A perfect fabrication of veneers is the key to their good looks and long life. The diagnostic wax up also helps the patient to understand what final shape the teeth will take on. If any alterations are needed, the patient may make the request at the preparatory stage itself.

Once everything is finalized, the patient is usually required to make another visit when the teeth preparation is done. The duration of this visit depends on the number of teeth that require preparation. In most cases, the visit may last anywhere between an hour and a half to two hours and a half. Impressions and temporaries are made during this appointment. The temporaries are copied from the wax up. This gives the patient a chance to see and feel what the final veneers will be like. Slight changes can still be made to the final veneers at this point.

Thereafter, it takes about three weeks for the veneers to be fabricated in the laboratory. Once the veneers are ready, the patient has to make a final visit to the dentist when they are bonded into place. The bonding process may take anywhere between one to two hours, depending on the number of teeth that are required to be veneered.