Cosmetic dentistry in Johns Creek

A veneer is made by a dental lab to the shape and color we choose with you. It suits front teeth that are discolored, chipped, worn, uneven or a little crooked, and is often a lighter-touch alternative to a crown.

It usually takes two visits. At the first, we remove a thin layer of enamel from the front of the tooth to make room for the veneer, a permanent change we'll talk through with you first, then take an impression and pick the shade together. Numbing is often not needed, but it's available. At the second visit the veneer is bonded and set with a curing light.

Veneers last many years with normal brushing and flossing, but like any restoration they can eventually need replacing.

At one visit we take impressions for your trays; at the next you try them on and go home with the whitening gel and instructions. Most people wear the trays for a short time each day, or overnight, for a couple of weeks. We'll tell you exactly how long for the gel you're using and the shade you're after.

• Whitening only works on natural enamel. Fillings, crowns and veneers don't change color, so we usually whiten first and then talk about whether a visible restoration should be replaced to match.
• Some sensitivity while you're whitening is normal and goes away when you stop.
• It isn't permanent. Expect a touch-up every few years, sooner if you smoke or drink a lot of coffee, tea or red wine.
• It handles yellow and brown staining well. Deep gray staining from tetracycline may need veneers instead.

Empress is a glass ceramic with no metal in it, so there's no dark line at the gum and it can be made to look like natural enamel. We choose the ceramic to suit where the tooth is and how hard it works.

• Crowns after a root canal, or when decay has taken too much of a tooth for a filling
• Inlays and onlays as a tooth-colored replacement for large silver fillings
• Veneers, when a pressed ceramic is the better choice for the case

A titanium post is placed in the jaw, left to heal and fuse with the bone, then fitted with a crown that matches your other teeth. The whole process takes several months. Implants can also anchor a denture or bridge so it stops moving.

More about implants on our extractions and implants page