Veneers and Smile Design
A veneer is a thin facing bonded to the front of a tooth to change its shape or colour. At Millenia Walk we place composite veneers, built up directly in one visit, and porcelain veneers, made from ceramic over two visits. Which suits you depends on how much sound tooth you have.
- Visits
- 1 composite · 2 porcelain
- Appointment
- 60–120 minutes
- Material
- Composite resin or ceramic
- Fee, per tooth
- S$381.50 – 1,090
What happens
Planning first. Photographs, a 3D scan, and a digital design of the proposed shape — before any tooth is touched.
A trial mock-up. The design can be tried in temporarily over your own teeth so you can see the shape in your own mouth, and change it, while everything is still reversible.
Any decay or gum disease is treated first. A veneer bonded over an active problem fails, and hides the problem while it gets worse.
Composite veneers are built up directly onto the tooth and polished in the same appointment. Porcelain veneers are prepared and scanned, then bonded at a second visit.
Composite or porcelain
Fees for both are on our fees page, per tooth, including GST. A written quotation follows examination.
The word “smile design” covers the planning rather than a separate treatment. It means working out the shape, length and proportion of the front teeth on a scan, testing it in your mouth, and only then deciding what — if anything — needs doing. Quite often the honest answer after that exercise is that fewer teeth need treating than you expected.
Who does this at Calm Dental
All five dentists place composite and porcelain veneers.
What we will not do
We will not remove sound enamel to make a tooth a different shape when a more conservative option exists. Where the concern is that teeth are crooked rather than damaged or discoloured, moving them with aligners is usually the better answer than filing them down and covering them — it keeps the tooth intact, and we will say so even though it is the smaller treatment.
We will not place veneers over active decay or untreated gum disease, and we will not start on front teeth in a mouth with heavy untreated grinding, because bonded ceramic on an unmanaged bite chips. Where the bite itself has collapsed, the answer is full-mouth rehabilitation rather than facings on the front teeth.
Questions
What is the difference between composite and porcelain veneers?
Composite is a tooth-coloured resin shaped directly onto the tooth in a single appointment, and it can usually be added to or repaired later. Porcelain is ceramic, made outside the mouth and bonded on at a second visit; it resists staining better and lasts longer, but it costs more and usually needs a little enamel removed.
Do my teeth have to be filed down for veneers?
For composite veneers, often not at all. For porcelain, usually a small amount of enamel is removed so the veneer sits flush rather than looking bulky. That removal is permanent — once enamel is taken it does not come back, and the tooth will need a veneer or crown from then on. We will tell you exactly how much is involved before you decide.
How long do veneers last?
Composite veneers commonly last around five years before they need repolishing, repair or replacement. Bonded porcelain often lasts ten years or more. What shortens either is grinding, biting nails or opening things with your front teeth, and decay starting at the margin.
Can veneers be whitened later?
No. Neither composite nor porcelain responds to whitening gel. If you are considering whitening as well, it is done first and the veneers are then matched to the new shade — the other order means the veneers no longer match.
Can I see what it will look like before committing?
Yes, and we would rather you did. The design is done on a 3D scan and can be tried in as a temporary mock-up over your own teeth, so you can see the proposed shape in your own mouth before any tooth is touched.