Instant Veneers

Instant Veneers – as seen on Jeremy Kyle

I never thought I’d say it, but the Jeremy Kyle show had quite an impact one day last month on our dental practice.

Thanks to a recent programme featuring new cosmetic dentistry techniques and ‘instant’ veneers, our phone rang off the hook all day. Who’d have thought the show would have that much influence!

You’ve probably heard of porcelain veneers, they’ve been around for quite some time.  They’re the reason so many celebrities have perfect teeth and bright, white smiles.  Simon Cowell, Miley Cyrus, 50 Cent, Katie Price and Hilary Duff are all rumoured to have got themselves a set of veneers – and at a celebrity price.  A full set of porcelain veneers can cost thousands, and yes, we do still fit these when the occasion demands it.

However, ‘instant’ or ‘composite’ veneers, at a fraction of the cost, put a fantastic smile within the reach of the rest of us, which I guess is why Jeremy Kyle’s show provoked such as response.  But then, a dazzling smile, a more confident and youthful look – it’s a service that was always going to be popular, if only people knew it existed!

Immediate veneers before and after picture

The flexibility of this new material does mean that Instant, or Immediate Veneers are the modern answer to crooked teeth, staining or gaps between teeth.  They are fitted quickly and easily over your existing teeth in just one visit to the surgery, and there’s no need for your own teeth to be filed down (as with porcelain veneers) so it’s pain-free too.  Yes, really.

If you think that sounds too good to be true – we thought that too, but there really isn’t a downside to this. Instant veneers do look great, they are long lasting, and easily repaired if chipped. The cost is just £350 per tooth, which is about half the price of the porcelain method.

When choosing instant veneers our main piece of advice is to find an experienced composite dentist. I know, we would say that, but not all dentists follow the same career path.

It is different, because whereas porcelain veneers are made in a lab by a technician, instant veneers are shaped by the dentist in the surgery so your dentist needs to have a good eye and a little artistic flair!

“Keep smiling – it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to.” Author unknown.

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Patients deserve an instant smile

Painless Dentistry in Romford, Essex | Winning Smiles

Dental Veneer Patients shouldn’t have to wait for a fantastic smile. Thankfully, thanks to another Winning Smiles dental hero, Pascal Magne, they don’t have to.

Veneers are a really great way to tackle dental cosmetic problems when teeth are;

  • badly discoloured
  • broken/chipped
  • have gaps between them

In fact, Veneers are the most asked about cosmetic dental treatment after whitening (which is usually better for discoloured teeth). But there can be a problem…..

Most dentists know how to make perfectly functional temporary crowns. Temporary veneers on the other hand are considered a bit of a black art (if they are considered at all).

Veneers require the removal of a thin layer of enamel from the tooth. And what happens when (even) a thin layer of enamel is removed from a front tooth? The yellow dentine starts to shine through. After committing to veneer treatment, the last thing you want is to come out looking worse -even for a few day! (let alone a few weeks.)… We don’t ask our patients to stand for that.

Pascal currently works and teaches at the University of Southern California and is world renowned for his veneer knowledge and research, and has written THE book, my ‘Veneer-Bible’. Pascal outlines a beautiful technique to produce temporary veneers for patients, whilst waiting for their permanent porcelain [Pascal also teaches how to produce and prep for perfect permanent veneers of course!!].

This is a before photo (old veneers to be replaced), and one showing temporaries veneers in place:

Veneers before photo with temporaries

  • They look better than the patient’s own teeth.
  • They stay put.
  • They come off fairly easily when the time comes to glue the permanent ones on.

And the drawbacks?

Well preparation time is longer – but instead of waiting for a couple of weeks, the patient gets instant improvements. We think it’s worth it.

Here are the permanent Veneers in place a week or so later:

Fitted Teeth veneers

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