Smile enhancement with porcelain veneers

Hi everyone welcome back today we’re going to talk about the veneer process how many appointments it takes and what happens during each appointment.

Now I know that every dentist is a little different with their process, but over the past decade and a half of being a cosmetic dentist, this is a process that I’ve developed that helps me to get predictable and consistent results that my patients love. It has a lot of checks and balances built into the system so that I can stay on the same page with the patient at all times and so they never feel like they’re in the dark.

I start this process with a virtual consultation. I just find that it’s a super easy and transparent way for patients to get some answers as to if they’re a good candidate, how much things will cost, and how many visits it’ll be, right from the comfort of their home.

The way this works is you’ll go to my website, fill out a form, and submit three photos. You can take these on your iPhone. The three photos I need are a full-face smiling photo, a close-up of you smiling, and also a close-up of your bite. The better these photos are, the more accurate I can be with your quotes because the details are clearer. So I often recommend that instead of using the selfie mode, people use the back-facing camera.

From there, I record you a personalized 2 to 5 minute video where I address your chief concerns and let you know if you’re a candidate. The video is really casual. It’s just like this, just like we’re having a FaceTime talk. The three things I’ll typically review are your teeth and if you’re a good candidate, how much it’ll cost, and how many appointments it may take.

There are some limitations as to what I can see virtually, but the beauty of this process is that I can be super transparent about all the information that I can see without patients having to step foot into the office.

It does take me some time to get back to everyone, so the way that I do this is I record them every Tuesday in batches in first come, first serve order. Also, if it’s been a while, like say a month, and you haven’t heard from me yet, please call the office and let us know so that I can make sure I didn’t skip it by accident.

The cool thing about this is that almost every smile makeover you see in my portfolio online, on Yelp, or on Google all started with a virtual consultation just like this.

The next step is to meet in person. That visit is about one hour long, and it’s an in-person consultation. We’ll start off with X-rays, scans, photos, and I’ll take a look in the mouth to make sure that everything that I recommended in the virtual consultation can be done.

This is really important because photos have limited information, especially if the quality is not good, and there are technical aspects that I need to double-check on my end to verify that your treatment is still possible.

During this process, also feel free to share your personal preferences such as inspiration photos or if you like a specific look. For example, some people like their canines to be really pointy, and some people like them a little bit more rounded. So if you have a particular preference, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll design what I think looks good on you.

By the end of this appointment, I typically have all the information I need to start on your case. So if you give us a thumbs up, we’ll get going. I’m going to spend the next two weeks with my ceramist designing you a smile that I think you would look good in with some of those characteristics that you prefer.

So that’s everything we’ll do in the first visit, and then we’ll see you for the second visit.

The second visit is the longest. You’ll be in the office for about 3 to 5 hours depending on how many teeth we’re doing. We’re not necessarily drilling the entire time, but we’re making sure the design is on point.

For this appointment, I recommend dressing warmly and comfortably because you’ll be laying down for the majority of it. I’ll be taking a lot of photos and videos, not necessarily for social media, but so I can communicate the color, texture, and details that I want reflected in the porcelain.

In most cases, the first thing that we do is numb you. I’ll start off with a numbing gel and then go in with the actual thing so that you are nice and comfortable throughout the entire appointment. If there is ever a time that you feel you need more anesthesia, please let us know. We have it ready to go and we are more than happy to give you more.

Once you’re numb, I’ll reshape your teeth as needed, scan your teeth for the ceramist, and also make you temporaries. Now these temporaries are not based off of your old teeth. They are based on the new design that we have created for your smile, and this is a great way for you to preview them.

The temporaries are such an important tool for us because once you see them on your face, we can make customizations right on your face based on what you see. For example, if you feel like they’re a little too long for you, we can shorten them right on the spot on the temporaries until you look at the temporaries and go, “I like that.”

Once we are both on the same page, I’ll take a final scan and send that over to my ceramist so they know exactly how long and approximately what shapes to create for the final porcelain.

Now you may still be somewhat numb during this part, so it may be difficult to assess the final look immediately. If that’s the case, I always encourage patients to send me photos once the numbing goes away in one to two days. I say one to two because there might be some slight swelling in the upper lip that may change the smile ever so slightly. Sometimes if it is really hard to tell, I’ll bring the patient back a few days later and adjust the temporaries right on the spot.

Once we have finalized those shapes, we are done designing and it’s just a waiting game. Make sure to take really good care of those temporaries over the next three weeks because you do not want them to break. Also, if it gives you peace of mind, try not to travel during those three weeks just in case anything does happen and you need to come into the office.

Next is the third visit, and the third visit is so exciting. It’s when we cement your veneers.

The third visit is typically shorter. It’s around 3 to 4 hours, and you will be numb again. The first thing I’ll do is remove your temporaries and try in your new porcelain veneers. I try them in specifically with a try-in cement, not a permanent one, so that you have an opportunity to take a look at everything and give us a thumbs up.

I know this sounds really basic, that you should be able to see your veneers before they’re permanently cemented, but you have no idea how many revision cases I’ve done because the patient didn’t actually like them. That’s always a shame because once they’re permanently bonded, they cannot be changed.

That’s why I think it’s so important for patients to see their veneers and be able to have a say as to whether they want them permanently cemented or not.

Now I will say that because of the way my process is built, patients often see their veneers and they love them. They should look really familiar because they have been wearing their temporaries for three weeks. Theoretically, the final veneers should look very similar to the temporaries that we designed, only better.

Because we spent so much time designing these veneers together, they should look recognizable, and most of my patients are thrilled and so excited to permanently cement them in once they see them.

Once we get the green light, the bonding process moves really quickly. It involves really precise steps to prepare the veneers for cementation and also the teeth to adhere with the veneer.

The final hour is spent cleaning up the cement, verifying the bite, and taking X-rays.

Once they’re permanently bonded in, we’re done. You’ve got your veneers. Now it’s just a matter of letting everything heal.

What I want to let people know is that the veneers will get prettier and more natural looking as the gums heal around them. Over the next three to six months, those gums will come down and creep into little triangular spaces and also become nice, healthy, and pink again.

The next visit is a fourth visit, and it’s a follow-up. This is a quick, fun appointment about an hour long where we fine-tune the bite and make sure that everything is healing perfectly.

I will also give you a customized protective device such as a night guard or retainer fitted to your mouth so that you can wear it every single night for the rest of your life to protect the investment. This is especially important if you grind your teeth at night or have had Invisalign in the past because we don’t want anything to break while you’re sleeping, and we definitely do not want the teeth to shift at all.

At this visit, we also take final photos of your beautiful new smile. Most of my patients will dress up a little cuter, put on a little makeup for these photos. Some patients also choose to do a video testimonial for the office letting people know about their experience and how their smile transformation went. This is completely optional, but I love hearing how happy people are with their smile, and it’s actually really helpful for other people to learn what the process is like.

All right, and that’s it. After years of smile makeovers, I found that these four visits deliver the most predictable, beautiful, and consistent results for my patients. I know it’s a few extra steps, but in the end, I want to do this once, do this right, and make sure you love it.

After watching this, if you feel ready to start the process, hit the link so that you can send me a virtual veneer request.

If your veneers feel big or heavy, or you’re afraid of ending up with veneers that look bulky or unnatural, you’re not alone. I’m Dr. Joyce Kahng, a cosmetic dentist here in Newport Beach. I specialize in minimally invasive veneers that preserve enamel and are designed to look balanced, not bulky.

Today, we’ll talk about why veneers sometimes look unnatural and how to design a smile that looks slim, balanced, and completely in harmony with your face.

Let’s start with why veneers look bulky. The most common reason veneers look bulky is that the new porcelain layer was added without creating enough space for it to sit naturally on the tooth. When that happens, the veneer ends up sitting on top of the natural surface, adding to the bulk instead of blending in with it. It’s like the tooth gained 5 lbs, just a little extra thickness that makes the smile feel heavier.

In some cases, veneers can be placed with no drilling at all. These are called no prep veneers, and they’re one of my most popular procedures. They can be a great option when the natural teeth already have enough space for the porcelain to be added without changing the shape too much. But it’s important to understand that no prep veneers have a time and a place. Not every patient is a good candidate. It takes experience to know when they’ll look seamless and natural and when a small amount of enamel reduction will actually create a better long-term result.

The goal isn’t to remove healthy tooth structure. It’s to make sure the veneer sits flush with the natural surface so the porcelain can stay thin, translucent, and light reflective, just like real enamel.

Have you ever seen veneers that looked a little puffy or thick in photos? That’s often what happens when there isn’t enough space created for the porcelain. Tell me in the comments if you’ve ever noticed that look.

Now, let’s talk about proportion and design. Because even if the prep is perfect, design can make or break the result.

Veneers can look too big when they aren’t designed in proportion to the lips and the face. A beautiful smile is all about balance and proportion. The two front teeth are meant to be the focal point of your smile, and the others should gently follow the curve of your lip line. If every veneer is the same size and shape, the smile can start to look blocky. And that’s what people mean when they say “chicklet teeth.”

In my practice, we always start with a mockup of what I think will look best within the framework of your lips and your face. Once that mockup is placed in the mouth, I’m able to custom design the rest directly on the working mockup, taking into account how your lips move when you talk and smile. That’s how we create a smile that looks natural in motion, balanced, refined, and completely personalized to you.

Have you ever seen a smile that looks perfect when still, but somehow off when the person starts talking? That’s usually because the design wasn’t customized for facial movement.

Now, let’s talk about materials and texture. Because this part makes a huge difference in how the light interacts.

Thicker, more opaque porcelain can reflect light in a way that makes teeth look flat and wide. The goal is to use ceramics that are strong yet thin with just enough translucency for light to pass through naturally.

Texture also matters. A perfectly smooth, glossy surface reflects light evenly, which can exaggerate the size of each tooth. By adding subtle surface detail, tiny vertical ridges, and contour lines, we help the light scatter like it does on natural enamel. That’s what creates dimension, softness, and realism.

If your current veneers already feel bulky, there are ways to improve them. Sometimes we can carefully contour and polish the existing veneers, even making small adjustments to the line angles to create the illusion of a slimmer, more contoured tooth. Those subtle refinements can make a big difference in how light moves across a surface, helping the smile look lighter and more balanced.

In my practice, I do a lot of revision cases, and I often find that improving the underlying design is sometimes the key to reducing that bulky appearance. Unfortunately, that can mean the veneer needs to be redone entirely to achieve the best long-term aesthetic result.

That combination of precise design and conservative technique is what allows veneers to look refined, but not overbuilt.

Have you seen a before and after where bulky veneers were replaced with ones that looked effortless? It’s one of the most satisfying transformations to watch.

The goal isn’t to make your teeth bigger. It’s to make your smile look more harmonious and balanced. When veneers are planned with the right design, material, and technique, they don’t look bulky. They look like they were always meant to be there.

If this helped you understand what makes veneers look bulky and how we fix it, subscribe for more cosmetic dentistry tips and real patient insights. And tell me in the comments, what do you think makes veneers look bulky or fake?

Have you ever seen a smile that looks so white it almost glows but somehow still doesn’t look real? You’d think that whiter automatically means better, but that’s not always the case.

I’m Dr. Joyce Kahng, a cosmetic dentist here in Newport Beach, and I specialize in creating bright, natural smiles that still look like you.

Today, I’m breaking down why some veneers end up looking too white and how we design smiles that are luminous, not flat, chalky, or fake.

When veneers look unnaturally white, it’s usually because the brightness or the value wasn’t managed correctly. Value is the lightness or brightness of color, and it’s the single element your eyes are most sensitive to. If the value is too high, meaning the veneers are uniformly bright, the smile loses its natural depth and starts to look opaque or oversized.

Natural teeth don’t have one flat level of brightness. They have a gentle gradient: a little more brightness in the middle, slightly less near the gums, and more translucency towards the edges. When veneers are bright from top to bottom, they can look flat and fake, even if the shade itself is technically correct. That’s why overly white veneers can look almost monolithic. There’s no dimension or movement when the light hits.

Sometimes it’s not even the shade that’s the problem, but the material or the way light passes through it. If the porcelain is too opaque, it blocks the natural light reflection that gives real enamel its glow.

Have you ever seen a smile that looks amazing in photos, but strangely flat in real life? That’s usually why. Tell me in the comments if you’ve noticed this before.

Getting a bright but natural result comes down to planning, materials, and careful color control.

Let’s start with the planning. Before we even start designing veneers, we look at the base color of the natural tooth underneath. If the teeth are discolored from old fillings, stains, or trauma, sometimes a round of pre-bleaching helps lighten the foundation so we can use more translucent materials on top. When a tooth is darker on the inside, like after a root canal, we can even bleach it internally first so the porcelain doesn’t have to work as hard to mask it. That helps the final veneer look natural and not overly opaque.

Next comes material and layering technique. The most natural-looking veneers are built in layers just like real teeth, which have dentin inside and translucent enamel outside. We start with a slightly warmer, more opaque layer that mimics dentin and then gives the tooth its depth. Then we add a translucent enamel layer over it so light can travel through and bounce back naturally.

That layering is what gives a veneer dimension. The light doesn’t just sit on the surface, it moves through it. And that’s what creates that lit-from-within look you see in real teeth. If you skip that step and use one uniform shade, the result is what I call painted white. It’s bright but lifeless.

Finally, there’s the try-in and final shade control. During the try-in appointment, I always check how the veneers look next to the lips, gums, and neighboring teeth. Color can change depending on lighting and even dehydration. So, it’s important to evaluate under natural light. I also use translucent cements during bonding to maintain the depth and brightness of the porcelain itself.

Every detail from the base color of your tooth to the layering of the porcelain and the final cement affects how natural or artificial the final shade appears.

Have you ever noticed a smile that looks perfectly matched indoors but way too white outside? That’s why we always check veneers under different lighting conditions.

In my practice, I love designing smiles that are bright but believable. Your veneers should complement your skin tone, your lip color, and even the whites of your eyes. A beautiful smile doesn’t have to be blinding. It just has to feel balanced and radiant in your face.

And that’s what gives you that healthy, youthful, and natural look, not a sheet of perfectly white porcelain.

When it comes to veneer color, brightness alone isn’t the goal. It’s about depth, translucency, and harmony. And that’s what separates a bright, natural smile from one that looks artificial.

If you found this helpful, subscribe for more cosmetic dentistry tips and real patient insights. And also follow me on Instagram.

Hi everyone.

It’s me, Dr. Kahng, cosmetic dentist.

Welcome back to my channel.

Today, we’re gonna talk about whether veneers can be used to fix crooked teeth.

Before we move forward, please hit the subscribe button so you never miss one of my future videos on cosmetic dental procedures.

A very common question that I get as a cosmetic dentist is whether veneers can be used to straighten out or align crooked teeth.

So I’ll cut to the chase.

The answer to that is yes, but only to a certain degree.

In more moderate or severe cases, it is not recommended even though it could potentially be done.

So there is distinction between what is possible versus what is recommended.

Yes, it is possible, but is it recommended?

That’s what we’ll dive into today.

I wanted to start this video with a little background on me.

So I’ve been a dentist for 12 years. Several of those years, I was also a professor at USC School of Dentistry and I’ve really evolved when it comes to my preparation style and what I feel is important.

These days, I really prioritize minimal removal of enamel and that is beneficial for your teeth because every time we drill a tooth, there is a chance that the nerve can be affected, first of all, but also that once enamel is gone, it can never come back.

So it’s really, really important to try and preserve as much of the tooth structure as possible for the health of the tooth.

Even though I am a cosmetic dentist, it doesn’t make sense to completely destroy a tooth just so that it can look better.

At this point in my career, I am established enough to insist on what I feel is right.

I have to have a little bit of a backbone for my patients because patients don’t really know what they’re getting themselves into when it comes to veneers.

I do, I’m the professional.

So I have to recommend what I think is right for the patient.

Now, doing this can be a little bit of a buzz kill.

Like if you wanted veneers and you wanted your veneers now, which is what a lot of people want—they want it now.

And your cosmetic dentist said,

“But first, I think you should do braces or Invisalign. I think you should straighten the teeth first.”

Most people will walk out the door because they don’t want to do Invisalign and they don’t see the benefits of doing Invisalign.

So let’s talk about the benefits of straightening up the teeth first.

Straightening up the teeth can be incredibly beneficial for the final result.

When the teeth are straight, now we can focus on the cosmetic enhancement while still preserving as much tooth structure as we possibly can.

And why is that important?

Because veneers only last an average of 15 years.

That means if you’re getting it done and you’re 30 years old, you need to replace these every so often.

And every time you go in to do this procedure over again, you’re removing just a little bit more tooth structure or you’re working that much closer to the nerve.

So initially speaking, it’s important to set things up the right way so that there isn’t a lot of tooth structure that has to be reshaped in order to do your veneer.

And I would say truthfully, nine out of 10 times when I tell patients they should get Invisalign first, they don’t move forward with veneers with me.

And that is okay with me.

Now, that being said, let’s talk about the three reasons, in a more concise way, that I prefer to set up the teeth with Invisalign.

And I’ve already said this 300 million times in this video, but that is really, really important.

Let’s look at this example over here of this tooth.

You can see that this tooth is a little bit more bucked.

If a tooth is bucked like that, or let’s go this way, the only thing we can really do is shave it down.

And unfortunately, when it’s at an angle like this and we shave it down, we are working close to the nerve.

So when we’re evaluating a situation like that, it’s important for the cosmetic dentist to assess if enough tooth structure can be removed without irritating the nerve and also getting a good result.

And the last thing we want to do as cosmetic dentists is to irritate the nerve to the point where it needs a root canal because that in itself will change the dynamic of the cosmetic result.

Root canal-treated teeth will eventually change color over time, so that adds another complication.

The second reason is one that I think requires a little bit more experience and a trained eye.

And that is establishing a proper bite or interincisal clearance between the upper and lower teeth.

That will increase the longevity of the veneers.

If you’ve watched any of my other videos, if the bite is incorrect, it can really increase the chances for failure of the veneer.

Failure meaning that it can chip and need to be completely replaced again.

So I think establishing the right bite is low key so important.

There are two things I look for in a bite.

The first is how the teeth come together upon closing.

We don’t want there to be too much pressure on these veneers.

If the teeth on the lower happen to be crooked, which happens a lot of the time, it may put a lot more pressure on certain parts of your upper veneer.

The second thing I always look at is the pathway.

What does the patient do when they’re chewing food?

What does the patient do when they’re sleeping? Are they grinding?

Those are some bite issues that I look at when it comes to predicting the longevity of the veneers.

Now, I’ll tell you from my perspective after doing a lot of these cases.

Will the veneers look good initially? Yes, they will look good upon placement.

What we’re talking about when it comes to the bite and really fine-tuning the bite is figuring out a good position for the teeth to be in for them to last their longest.

Overall, in the long run, this is what’s going to save you a lot of money and a lot of heartache.

So taking the time to set things up the proper way is always going to be to your advantage.

Not to mention that if the teeth do happen to be crooked on the lower, for example, it’ll be an aesthetic enhancement as well, and in the long run, will keep your periodontal health in check.

The third reason is that you will have better aesthetic results.

I think that you can get great results without doing Invisalign, but from a technical standpoint, for making things look really, really lifelike while also maintaining a minimal prep, you have to imagine that when we prepare or reshape the teeth, we want there to be an even amount of space for the porcelain.

So imagine this.

When a cosmetic dentist removes enamel to create space for a veneer, the ideal situation is when the teeth are aligned properly and we just remove a thin layer evenly across the tops of each tooth.

However, if there’s an alignment issue, there are times when we don’t have the space to remove the tooth structure without maybe hitting a nerve or irritating the nerve.

And so we’re leaving that space a little bit more bulky.

That amount of tooth structure removed is less than some of the other areas in the mouth.

And that will reflect light differently with the porcelain.

It’s ever so slight, but I do notice these things.

And I think if you are investing this much into your smile, it is important to do things the right way and also achieve the best aesthetic result that you possibly can.

In the end, I practice this way because this is what I would want if I were to get veneers.

Or if any of my family members were to get veneers, I would do it the right way.

And that’s what I think patients also deserve.

In summary, yes, veneers can be used to fix crooked teeth, but they shouldn’t be used to fix crooked teeth, especially if there is moderate to heavy crowding.

Doing the procedure this way may not feel as instantly gratifying, but there are definitely benefits.

And those benefits are for you, the patient.

If you found this video helpful, please like and subscribe.

That’s it for today.

I will see you in the next one.

Bye.