How veneers and crowns are prepared
Decided in the design, not at the chair
Preparing a tooth means shaping it so a veneer or crown fits. How much we take is decided in the design of the final teeth, before treatment starts. Where the design adds volume, the tooth often needs little or nothing; where it reduces, we take only that. This is how it works, shown on lower front teeth restored with veneers.
The case on this page was treated by Dr. Adrian Argint and DT Ioana Popp.
01
The final teeth, designed first
We scan your teeth and design the new ones in 3D, on your face. The design is the reference for every later step: the preparation, the temporaries and the final veneers or crowns.
02
A heat map of the space needed
The design is laid over a scan of your teeth. The heat map shows, tooth by tooth and in fractions of a millimetre, where the new shape sits outside your tooth and needs no preparation, and where it sits inside and needs space.
03
Prepared in steps, checked by scan
We prepare in small steps and scan the teeth again after each one. Every new scan is compared with the design on the heat map, so we see exactly where a little more space is needed and where to stop. The amount removed is measured from the final design at every step.
04
Gum protected, edges defined
Fine cords move the gum gently aside, so the edge of each preparation is clean and the scan or impression records it precisely. A precise edge helps the veneer or crown fit closely and the gum stay healthy around it.
The try-in
The finished veneers, tried in on the prepared teeth. Because every step followed the design, they seat as planned: thin, with edges that meet the tooth cleanly and the shape you approved. Next comes bonding.
Veneers and crowns
A veneer covers the front and edge of a tooth, so it usually needs only a thin layer of preparation, often limited to enamel. A crown covers the whole tooth and needs more room, which is why we choose a crown only when the tooth is weakened or largely restored. In both cases the design decides the amount, and you leave with temporaries made from the same design.
Preparation: frequently asked questions
Does preparation hurt?+
It is done under local anaesthesia, so you usually feel only pressure. Teeth can be sensitive for a few days afterwards.
Can veneers be done without preparation?+
Sometimes. When the design only adds volume, little or no preparation may be needed. The design shows whether that is possible for your teeth.
Will I leave without teeth?+
No. You leave with temporaries made from the design, which you wear until the final veneers or crowns are bonded.
Is the preparation reversible?+
No. That is why we decide it in the design and keep it as small as the result allows.