Are You Concerned or Self Conscious About Your Dental Appearance?
Veneers are a great way to permanently restore your teeth even if they have minor cavities, fractures, or other aesthetic concerns. Porcelain shells chemically bond to the front of your teeth, providing a new surface and an all-new smile you are proud of!
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Dr. Antigone Skoulas San Francisco
Dr. Antigone Skoulas prioritizes patient comfort, efficiency, and quality care.
- Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Member, Pathway to Accreditation
- Academy of General Dentistry Member, over 500 hours of continuing education completed
- Kois Trained
- American Academy of Clear Aligners, Invisalign Platinum Provider
- UCLA Graduate/Lecturer
- Dugoni Graduate
Ready to Improve Your Smile?
Learn more today with a free 30 min online or in person, no obligation consultation.
Stop dreading how your teeth make you feel, take this first step to regain the confidence in your smile.
Before & After Photos
What are Veneers?
A veneer is a porcelain shell that is form-fitted and chemically bonded to the enamel of your tooth to reshape the tooth, repair fractures, fix darkened teeth, or replace minor cavities. They are primarily used for aesthetic reasons to recontour teeth to make the smile more symmetrical and pleasing. Veneers can be placed on one tooth or on twenty teeth! It all depends on the pressing concern and the long-term goal. Dr. Skoulas will discuss your concerns with you at the initial 30-minute aesthetic consultation and give you all of your options, risks, and alternative treatment plans. Some alternatives to veneers may be orthodontics, composites, or simply bleaching. She always keeps the long-term health of your teeth at the forefront of her mind when treatment planning your aesthetic goals.
What Issues Can Be Solved With Porcelain Veneers?
With dental veneers, any number of naturally occurring problem can be fixed. Veneers are an excellent approach to changing a tooth’s color, size or shape. Porcelain Veneers can mask undesirable tooth defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline and damage due to an injury or as a result of a root-canal procedure. Veneers are ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. If you have gaps between your front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn, you may consider veneers as a solution. Patients love porcelain veneers because they can solve a number of otherwise costly and painful issues.
Discoloration
Veneers are an instant fix for discolored teeth. Whether it’s from smoking, drinking coffee, or a root canal, veneers can instantly cover up discolored
Broken or Worn Teeth
Veneers offer a quick fix for chipped, cracked, or worn down teeth.
Gaps and Crooked Teeth
If your teeth have gaps between them or even if they’re crooked, veneers can instantly give them a straight and even appearance.
Who Is A Candidate For Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are one of the most versatile, efficient, and beautiful treatment options we offer. Unfortunately, not all patients are candidates for them. Here are some characteristics of a good candidate for porcelain veneers.
Healthy Teeth and Gums
Patients looking to get porcelain veneers will need to have healthy gums and teeth. The good news is that patients suffering from gum disease or tooth decay can get those issues treated first and then become ideal candidates for porcelain veneers.
Enough Enamel
During the procedure, Dr. Skoulas removes a very thin layer of enamel from the tooth. This allows space for the veneer. Patients need to have a sufficient amount enamel to be candidates for veneers.
Teeth Grinding
Even the super-strong enamel on your teeth can become cracked from nightly teeth grinding. While porcelain is also very strong, it’s not quite as strong as your enamel. Patients that suffer from teeth grinding will need to have that issue treated before they get their porcelain veneers. But there is good news here also. There are some exciting new porcelain veneers that are strong enough to withstand teeth grinding and may mean more patients can get veneers.
Committed to Good Oral Health
Patients that invest in porcelain veneers need to be committed to keeping their teeth and gums healthy. While porcelain is immune to cavities, the rest of your teeth are not. Brushing and flossing regularly will help prevent your gums from receding and revealing the edge of the veneer. Tooth decay is another common issue that can cause your veneers to fail.
The Aesthetics Of Porcelain Veneers
In order to achieve a more natural and customized result, Dr. Skoulas puts her artistic abilities to work by first designing your smile while you are in her chair. Once you approve the design of your new smile, the veneers are created by our Master Ceramist. Dr. Skoulas’ porcelain veneers are more natural looking and include a more layering effect of natural colors. The porcelain veneer must mimic the natural tooth qualities you desire; hence selecting a cosmetic dentist is of vital importance for a beautiful result. If not done properly many failures such as de-bonding or fractures of the porcelain veneers are common. Porcelain Veneers, provided by an expert cosmetic dentist such as Dr. Skoulas, are custom made to the individual’s lip form, face, skin tone, and personality.
The Process
Appointment 1
- Free Aesthetic Consultation – 30 minutes
At this appointment we will review your cosmetic concerns and make sure that Veneers are the best choice for you. Dr. Skoulas will review all of your options, risks, and alternative treatment plans at this time.
Appointment 2
- Full Exam/Full Mouth X-rays/Diagnostic Records -1 hour
Dr. Skoulas will create a thorough treatment plan for your specific case based on any cavities or gum health problems that need to be addressed, in addition to the cosmetic desires. She will also take impressions, a 3D scan of your mouth, and a variety of photographs in order to design your future smile.
3 week waiting time…
Appointment 3
- Veneer Preparation Day – 4 hours
At this appointment Dr. Skoulas will have your future smile designed and ready, prepared made of wax and stone. She will use this model to guide her tooth reduction in how she prepares your teeth for porcelain. Your mouth will be numb for the entire procedure using local anesthetic. If you are highly dental phobic, she may suggest valium or nitrous to help on the day of the procedure. For certain patients with severe anxiety, Dr. Skoulas also works with a top anesthesiologist that can put you to sleep for the entire procedure. After you are numb, the teeth are prepared for veneers removing only the most minimal amount of tooth structure needed in order to place the future porcelain in adequate thickness. You will leave this appointment with a well fitting temporary that will mimic your future porcelain veneers. You will have the opportunity to wear this temporary for three weeks while the porcelain is fabricated by the master ceramist. During this time, any concerns you have about the length of the teeth or style can be voiced to Dr. Skoulas so that these adjustments can be communicated to the master ceramist prior to insertion of the porcelain.
3 weeks later….
Appointment 4
This is the day you receive your porcelain veneers! All veneers are not made the same. Dr. Skoulas works with world renowned master ceramists that hand-craft beautiful, natural looking veneers with proper translucency. She discusses this with you during the exam process as you choose your ceramist. All porcelain is also not the same! She will talk to you about options including Feldspathic, Emax, and Zirconia. On the day of this procedure, you will also need to be numb. This can again be local anesthetic or full sedation at your preference. We will then remove the temporary veneers and try-in the porcelain. You will have an opportunity to take a look at the final result prior to permanently cementing the porcelain to your teeth. If all looks incredible, we will go ahead and cement the veneers, chemically bonding them to your tooth structure. Final photos will be taken. Finally, to protect your veneers from microfractures overtime, a nightguard is suggested to be worn every-day and Dr. Skoulas will review this with you.
Recovery from Veneer Appointments
The only recovery would be in letting your jaw relax and rest. You will have kept your mouth open for a significant amount of time so sometimes it takes a little time to feel completely back to normal. The anesthetic should wear off in 4 hours, leaving you with a beautiful smile! Other than that, no antibiotics or pain medications are prescribed. The procedure should not leave you in pain and recovery time is limited to the hours following the appointment due to the anesthetic.
Maintenance of your Veneers
After you have received your veneers it is important that you keep up with your oral hygiene routine. Dr. Skoulas will discuss different toothbrushes with you and suggest an electric toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, and sometimes a mouth rinse. It is important that you maintain your proper routine hygiene interval in office, as well. You do not want to let plaque and stain collect around your investment! Veneers do not take any other additional oral hygiene care other than what you are used to doing currently. Regular six month check up appointments are needed.
How Long Do Porcelain Veneers Last?
Porcelain veneers should last 15-20 years. They will need to eventually be replaced as no dental work lasts forever although we hope to get close to it! Porcelain veneers may need to be replaced due to staining, gum recession, fractures, or debonding over time. Generally, people that have had their veneers for 20 years are ready to update their smile once more with newer porcelains and more natural looking materials so this can be expected down the road.
Why Use Antigone Skoulas, DDS For Your Porcelain Veneers
San Francisco patients deserve to look and feel their best. Many of our patients have careers that they love and a big part of their success is having a beautiful, straight smile that lights up a room. The kind of confidence that a gorgeous smile gives our patients is irreplaceable. Here are a few reasons why so many patients trust Dr. Skoulas with their dental treatment.
After Hours Treatment
We know that your job can be demanding and that you work long hours. Coming into a dentist’s office during the day simply isn’t an option for many of our patients. That’s exactly why Dr. Skoulas offers after-hours where she stays late, comes in early, and even comes on the weekends to help our patients feel their best and keep their mouths healthy. This kind of commitment and availability is something that we are very proud of.
Education and Memberships
Dr. Skoulas is a past lecturer at the UCLA School of Dentistry. She has taken a variety of continuing education courses tailoring her degree to specialize in cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Skoulas is also an active participant in the Kois Center lecture series and a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She is in the process of pursuing a fellowship through the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Skoulas focuses her continuing education courses to be the most up to date in San Francisco on bonding techniques relating to veneers, composites, and all aesthetic materials. She is truly an artist.
Dr. Skoulas has been highly involved with her local dental society, the San Francisco Dental Society and the Western Los Angeles dental society for over ten years now. She has held numerous leadership positions on both and within the California Dental Association. Dr. Skoulas also spends time advocating for policies that will impact dental health while perfecting her craft.
Giving Back
Finally, Dr. Skoulas is proud to offer her expertise and time to disadvantaged communities overseas through dental mission trips. She has traveled to Fiji and performed dental work on Fijians in a village that needed care. Dr. Skoulas is also involved in local volunteer efforts helping underprivileged youth receive dental care, the homeless, and with events sponsored by the California Dental Association. She gives back to her community in any way that she can and will continue to do so in the years to come. Dr. Skoulas was most recently involved with putting on the Women’s March in San Francisco, where she helped with emergency services.
If you are ready to get started for your porcelain veneers, we would love to hear from you! Give us a call today at (415) 757-0110!
