5 reasons you should do direct veneers

During the past 25 years, you have probably attended many CE courses and heard colleagues talk about the benefits of porcelain veneers.

In recent years, however, many dentists have lamented that the golden days of cosmetic dentistry have come and gone. Since 2007 the demand for cosmetic dentistry has declined in many dental practices. If you can relate to that, don’t worry: There is light at the end of the tunnel!

While some dentists still place porcelain veneers, I have seen the number of cases become fewer and far between. Just think for a moment and ask yourself how many porcelain veneers did you do last week? How about last month?

Economic realities have decreased the acceptance of cosmetic dentistry treatment plans. However, thanks to advances in the art and science in esthetic dentistry, advanced resin materials and the introduction of new direct veneer technologies, it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Related: Step-by step: Low-cost veneers for a cost-conscious patient

Here are five reasons why direct veneers can bring back a resurgence to your cosmetic dentistry practice and why you can have renewed confidence doing direct veneers:

1. Many patients cannot afford extensive and expensive cosmetic dentistry treatment plans.

When a patient visits your office and you offer computer imaging or show your patient a wax up demonstrating how a smile makeover can enhance their appearance, the treatment plan can often reach close to $10,000 or more with porcelain veneers. After hearing the fee you probably have heard patients say, “Let me think about it.” All too often that really means "thanks but no thanks." With direct veneer systems, it does not have to be that way. Treatment plans can be far more economical.

2. Dentists and patients appreciate “same day dentistry”.

Let’s face it: Patients prefer fewer visits whenever possible. If you or your patients want to benefit from same day dentistry, there are new direct veneer systems that can create smile transformations, while saving patients thousands of dollars in expense. A direct veneer system can also provide you with one of the best ROI’s in dentistry. A true win-win for everyone involved.

Up next: More on why veneers help both you and your patients.

3. One or two veneers can often solve your patient’s cosmetic dentistry problem.

In contrast, placing one or two porcelain veneers is very difficult.  

Once you set up your direct veneer patient education program, you will find approximately 80 percent of patients still have a desire to improve the appearance of one or more teeth. The key is finding out where these patients are in your practice, and to do it without selling. It really isn’t hard to do. Feel free to contact this author and I will help you discover how easy that is. But if you do nothing to help inform, educate and motivate patients to understand how recent advances in direct veneer technology can benefit them, you will not see a resurgence in your cosmetic dentistry practice. Why would you?

Related: Technique: Placing multiple veneers at the same time with amazing esthetics

After you discover how to tap into the latent demand that still exists for cosmetic dentistry, you will soon be doing more smile makeovers. However, there is one caveat. Doing direct veneers requires a slight mindset change. Patients no longer require six, eight or more porcelain veneers. With direct veneers you can offer less extensive and less expensive cosmetic dentistry to solve problems, making for a more receptive dental patient.

4. You can educate your patients and meet their expectations.

Patients often feel that while they want to enhance the appearance of their teeth they do not want their healthy tooth “filed down” (to use their words) just to make it look better. I hope you can understand the reason they feel this way.

Patients also want to know if the outcome of the smile transformation will match their expectations. Fulfilling unrealistic patient expectations can create angst among many dentists before seating a case and handing the patient a mirror, hoping the veneers meet the patient’s anticipated change. 

One of the advantages of the direct veneer system I use (ProVeneer by Silmet) is that it incorporates patent pending Smile Preview Veneers to eliminate that concern, since it prequalifies patients as a candidate by achieving the final result before taking on the case.

Read more: The search for the best veneer system

5. This is a procedure that gives both you and your patients confidence.

With the new generation of direct veneers, you can have confidence that you can achieve long lasting, durable results that do not easily stain. Best of all, the process does not require much chair time, since the material does not stick to your plastic instrument or gloves.

In literally minutes, you will be able to prequalify patients as candidates as well. The patent pending Smile Preview Veneer process eliminates patient and operator angst, and results in a motivated patient who often responds by saying, “Can you cement that today?” Many of the dentists I have trained report that within a few months they went from doing very few, if any veneers, to placing 30 veneers every month, sometimes more. You can do the same as well. 

If you are looking to do more cosmetic dentistry or are looking to find more patients who want cosmetic dentistry, it's time you take a second look at how direct veneer systems can provide long lasting, natural looking results.