How Dental Labs Create Natural-Looking Veneers

Partnering with dental labs gives you access to state-of-the-art equipment, technology, and experienced technicians. These types of resources are required to fabricate high-quality veneers for your clients. Labs also provide faster turnaround times. Here’s how dental laboratories create natural-looking veneers:

Dental Impressions

Accurate and detailed impressions of your client’s teeth and oral anatomy are necessary to make natural-looking veneers. Classic molding kits are still available, but digital scanners are the modern choice for taking impressions. They offer more precision and provide dental labs with high-quality digital 3D scans of the teeth, jaw, and oral cavity. Digital impressions show details like color, translucency, shape, size, and contours. Labs rely on this information to produce veneers that fit and blend with your client’s natural teeth.

Material and Shade

The goal of natural-looking veneers is to closely mimic the appearance and characteristics of your client’s smile. Labs usually use porcelain or composite resin because they can create veneers that look more like natural teeth. Porcelain veneers also reflect light the same way as your client’s natural teeth, and labs have digital shade-matching technology, which provides more accurate results than classic shade guides. Dental technicians can layer material to add depth, customize shape, and achieve natural translucency. They use surface coloring techniques to add unique highlights and characteristics for natural aesthetics. 

Design and Manufacturing

Modern labs use digital imaging, design, and manufacturing to produce prosthetics with precision and speed. Digital design allows labs to achieve higher levels of customization since they can use all details captured by digital scanners to design veneers that align with your client’s teeth. Digital manufacturing uses 3D printers that translate digital designs into tangible prosthetics. Three-dimensional printing allows labs to fabricate precise veneers with high-level details and appearances that blend in with existing teeth. The veneers also fit precisely on the prepared teeth or gums, eliminating unnatural contours and gaps.

Mock-ups and Prototypes

Labs may provide optional wax mock-ups made using the same impressions and instructions you send them. These mock-ups are models of the veneers and help provide visualization before the actual prosthetic is designed. If the model has size, shade, or shape issues, the lab can fix them before fabricating the veneers. Prototypes usually feature all the aesthetic elements that will be in the final prosthetic. If the prototype meets your expectations, the lab proceeds with fabrication. Fabricating mock-ups and prototypes may reduce the need for post-manufacturing adjustments and issues.

Staining and Polishing

Staining, glazing, and polishing are some of the various techniques that labs use to provide natural aesthetics. Stains and tints add subtle details like translucency around the edges and natural discolorations, and glazing is achieved by applying the glaze and firing the veneer in a kiln. The final veneers should have a smooth, polished surface and sheen that resemble natural enamel. You can make minor adjustments before bonding the veneers to your client’s teeth to achieve a perfect fit. If the appearance or level of comfort isn’t satisfactory for your patient, labs can handle adjustments until the veneers are correct.

Quality Checks

Quality dental laboratories have a strict quality protocol to maintain the safety, integrity, and quality of the prosthetics they manufacture. They choose high-quality materials and inspect every aspect of the veneer, especially color, fit, and finish. Quality checks help to produce reliable veneers that fit properly and serve their purpose. Labs can also test the strength and functionality of the veneers to make sure they can withstand the wear and tear of biting and chewing. Prosthetics that don’t meet quality and aesthetic requirements are modified or remade in the lab.

Find Dental Labs Today

Natural-looking veneers should blend in with your client’s teeth, enhancing their smile and oral aesthetics. Dental laboratories have the facility and skillset to fabricate veneers based on the instructions and impressions you provide. Consult a dental lab today to find out more about their prosthetic-making process.