Maybe a front tooth chipped years ago and the repair never matched. Maybe there's a gap you've learned to smile around, or your edges have worn flat from grinding. These are the things people bring with them when they ask about porcelain veneers at our Lakeview studio in Chicago.
A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain bonded to the front of a tooth. It changes the color, shape and length of the part you see, without moving or replacing the tooth. Bonding does some of the same in one visit, with tooth-colored resin shaped right onto the tooth.
We start by asking what you'd like to change. Sometimes the answer is much smaller than veneers.
“For me, it's about choosing the most conservative path that still gives them the result they want.”
Dr. Erin Cho
What can veneers fix?
Veneers cover the front of a tooth, so they work on what shows when you smile. Chipped or worn edges, stains that whitening won't lift, small gaps, teeth that are short or oddly shaped, and old fillings that have gone dark are the usual reasons. They can also hide mild crowding or a tooth that's turned a little.
They can't move teeth or change your bite. If teeth are quite crooked, a veneer has to be thicker to hide it, and more of the tooth gets removed. Straightening them first, with Invisalign for example, often means fewer veneers, or none.
Veneers or bonding, or something smaller?
Many people come to a cosmetic consultation expecting to pick a treatment and picture the result in their head. We'd rather you decide while looking at your own smile. Before we recommend anything, we take photographs and measurements of your teeth, put them on the screen and go through the options with you. You know what you're agreeing to, and can tell us what you'd change, before anything is done.
Bonding is tooth-colored resin shaped onto the tooth and hardened with a light. It's usually done in one visit and leaves the tooth much as it was, but it stains and chips sooner than porcelain. Traditional porcelain veneers are made to fit your teeth, keep their color for years, and usually need a thin layer of enamel removed first.
Prep-less veneers sit in between. They're thinner shells placed with little or no change to the tooth, when the shape and position of your teeth allow it. And sometimes whitening, or smoothing one uneven edge, does what you were hoping veneers would do.
Do porcelain veneers ruin your teeth?
No, but they do commit you. Most porcelain veneers need a thin layer of enamel taken off the front of the tooth, usually less than a millimeter, so the veneer sits flush instead of bulky. Enamel doesn't grow back, so that tooth will always need a veneer or a similar covering. That's what people mean when they say veneers are permanent.
Online you'll hear two opposite claims: that veneers never need any drilling, and that your teeth get ground down to stumps. Both are wrong as a rule. How much is removed depends on the tooth and on how much you want to change, and you'll know exactly what your teeth need before anything is done.
Are veneers right for you?
Veneers need healthy teeth and gums underneath. A veneer placed over decay, or next to gums that bleed, won't last.
So before we plan veneers, we look at your bite, your gums and habits like grinding. Sort those out first, and the veneers you pay for have the best chance of lasting.
Worth sorting out first:
Gum disease or bleeding gums
Decay, or large old fillings
Grinding or clenching, which can chip porcelain
Crowding or a bite that's off
What happens at each veneer visit?
Porcelain veneers usually take two or three visits over a few weeks. Bonding is usually done in one.
1Consultation. Photographs, measurements and a conversation about what you'd like to change.
2Planning. The shape, length and shade are worked out around your face and the teeth beside them.
3Preparation. With the area numbed, a thin layer of enamel is removed where needed and the teeth are scanned.
4Temporaries. You wear temporary veneers while the porcelain ones are made.
5Placement. The veneers are tried in, adjusted, bonded in place, and your bite is checked.
Do veneers look fake?
They don't have to. Veneers look fake when they're too white, too even and too thick for the face they're on. Natural teeth vary a little from one to the next in shade and shape, and their edges are slightly see-through. Good porcelain copies that.
If you'd like your other teeth whiter, whiten them before the veneers are made. Porcelain keeps the color it's made in, so the veneers are matched to your new shade, not the old one.
“There is a look I will not do. Very white, very square, all one size. You can spot it across a room. If somebody asks me for that I will say so, and usually we land somewhere else once they see what their own teeth can actually do.”
Dr. Erin Cho
How long do veneers last?
Porcelain veneers often last 10 to 15 years or more before they need replacing. Bonding wears faster and usually needs touching up or redoing sooner, often within 5 to 10 years.
Care for them like your own teeth. Brush twice a day, floss, and keep your cleanings. Don't open packages or bite ice with them. If you grind at night, wear a night guard. Grinding is a common reason porcelain chips.
How your veneers are planned
Photographs and measurements
So every change is sized to your face
“A mouth is always attached to a whole person and the whole mouth always matters.” Dr. Erin Cho
Not usually. The teeth are numbed before any enamel is removed, so most people feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. Bonding often needs no numbing at all.
For a few days after preparation or placement, your teeth may twinge with hot or cold drinks. That normally settles on its own within a week. Your bite can also feel slightly different at first; if it still feels high after a couple of days, call us and it can be adjusted.
How much do veneers cost in Chicago?
It depends on how many teeth are involved, which material is used, and whether anything needs treating first. Bonding costs less per tooth than porcelain. You'll have a written plan with the cost before anything begins.
Veneers are usually counted as cosmetic, so dental insurance often doesn't pay for them. Work that repairs a broken tooth may qualify. Our team can check your benefits before you decide.
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Our dentists
Our founder, Dr. Erin Cho, and Dr. Ashley Choi, both trained at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Usually, yes. A thin layer of enamel is removed to fit them, so the tooth will always need a covering. Bonding and prep-less veneers change the tooth little or not at all.
Can veneers fix crooked teeth?›
Only slightly crooked ones. Veneers can hide mild crowding or a turned tooth. For more than that, straightening first usually means fewer veneers and less tooth removed.
Veneers or bonding: which is better?›
It depends on how much you want to change. Bonding is quicker, costs less and keeps more of the tooth, but it stains and chips sooner. Porcelain lasts longer and holds its color.
Can veneers be whitened?›
No. Porcelain keeps the color it's made in. Whiten your teeth first, and the veneers are matched to the new shade.
How many veneers will I need?›
Sometimes only one or two. Others want every tooth that shows when they smile. We use your photographs and measurements to show you what each option would change, so you can decide how far to go.
Can I get veneers if I grind my teeth?›
Often, yes. Grinding can chip porcelain, so we check your bite and the wear on your teeth first, so the veneers are planned for the force they'll take. You'd wear a night guard afterward.
Does insurance cover veneers?›
Usually not, because veneers count as cosmetic. Work that repairs a broken tooth may qualify. Our team can check your benefits before treatment begins.
Start with a conversation. We'll take photographs and measurements, talk about what you'd like to change, and go through every option, including the smaller ones, so you don't commit to more than you need.
Derrick AgnolettiGoogle · Nov 2025
Kory KukukGoogle · Jan 2026
Amanda SaratsisGoogle · Jun 2026
