SmileSculpt Veneers

When to avoid

• Untreated tooth decay or active gum disease, until treated

Possible risks

• Gradual staining or loss of surface gloss, since printed resins hold color less well than milled resins and ceramics
• Surface wear over time, as resin-based veneers resist wear less than porcelain
• Chipping or fracture, particularly at thin edges or when biting hard foods or objects
• Loosening or debonding of a veneer, which may require re-bonding
• Surface roughness, color mismatch or discoloration at the margins, the complications most often reported for composite veneers
• Excess contour at the gumline on no-prep veneers, which can make cleaning harder and may affect gum health
• Tooth decay under or around the edges of a veneer
• Eventual need for polishing, repair or replacement

Who needs extra care

• Heavy clenching or grinding of the teeth, or a deep overbite, which raises the risk of chipping or debonding and usually calls for a night guard or bite correction alongside veneers
• Severe crowding, which may call for orthodontic treatment before or alongside veneers
• Contact sports or other activities with a risk of mouth injury, where a mouthguard helps protect the veneers

1. At the consultation, we go over what you'd like to change about your smile and examine your teeth, gums and bite
2. Any decay or gum disease is treated before veneers are planned
3. We take a digital scan with our Lumina or Medit intraoral scanner to plan your SmileSculpt veneers; photographs may also help guide the design
4. Your new smile is designed digitally from the scan, and at a separate visit a mock-up of that design is tried in over your teeth to preview the look; a printed sample may also be tried in to check the shade before the final veneers are made
5. If the plan calls for it, a small amount of enamel is smoothed in specific spots; some plans involve no enamel removal at all
6. The veneers are 3D printed, either in the office or by a dental lab, then cleaned, post-cured and polished
7. At the appointment to place your veneers, we check each one's fit and shade on your teeth before bonding it
8. Your teeth are cleaned and conditioned, and each veneer is bonded in place with a light-cured resin cement
9. The edges, length and contour are sculpted and polished while you are in the chair, and your bite is checked
10. A follow-up visit may be scheduled to check the gums and refine the polish

An intraoral scanner records the teeth as a 3D model in place of putty impressions, and that model is the base for a digital design of each veneer's length, width and contour.

• The design is printed in a ceramic-filled resin by vat photopolymerization, which hardens liquid resin layer by layer with light. The printed veneers are then cleaned, post-cured and finished, steps that strongly affect the final material's strength and color.
• The inner surface of each veneer is roughened and primed, the enamel is conditioned, and a light-cured resin cement bonds the shell to the tooth, so a very thin veneer is held in place by adhesion.
• Once bonded, the edges and surfaces are sculpted and polished on the teeth, so length, shape and contour can be refined before the appointment ends.
• When little or no enamel is removed, most of the natural tooth structure stays in place underneath the veneer.

• Normal eating and daily activities can generally resume after the appointment
• It may take a few days to get used to how the veneers feel, and a bite that does not feel right after placement can be adjusted
• Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between the teeth daily help protect against decay under or around the veneers
• Limiting coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco helps slow staining of resin veneers
• Avoiding nail biting and chewing on hard objects such as ice or pens lowers the risk of chipping
• Periodic professional polishing keeps the surface smooth, which supports color stability
• A chipped or worn veneer can often be repaired with bonding or reprinted from the saved design

• Porcelain veneers, lab-made ceramic shells with greater stain and wear resistance that usually involve some enamel reduction
• Composite bonding or direct composite veneers, sculpted by hand on the teeth
• Teeth whitening for discoloration on teeth that are otherwise well shaped
• Orthodontic treatment, such as clear aligners, for crowding, rotation or gaps
• Crowns for teeth with large fillings or significant structural loss

• SmileSculpt is a branded workflow for designing, 3D printing, bonding and hand-finishing veneers made from a hybrid ceramic resin, with printing done in the office or by a dental lab[1]
• Minimally invasive and no-prep veneers are typically 0.2 to 0.5 mm thick and need minimal or no enamel removal, compared with 0.3 to 1.0 mm for conventional veneers[7]
• A 2023 meta-analysis of resin composite veneers, the material family printed hybrid veneers belong to, reported pooled survival of about 88% in trials with mean follow-up of 24 to 97 months[8]
• Printed resin restorations can be repaired by applying a primer and bonding agent, much as direct composite restorations are[4]
• Because each veneer is printed from a saved digital design, a fractured veneer can be reprinted from the original file[2]