Veneer Color Change Before Procedure?

The shade of a veneer is determined before placing the order with the lab.  The lab will use that shade to make the veneer.  Once veneers are made, their color can not be changed.  The only thing that can be done is to make a new veneer.  Best, Dr. Elizabeth Jahanian

We always do a try in before we cement any veneers.  When you do a try in, you need to see the color of the glue that will be used.  If you don't like the color, don't let the dentist cement them.  Since my office always goes lighter than I like, I never worry they are not white enough but before gluing them in is the time to express your opinion.  The cost should already have been discussed so ask and be involved-YOU ARE the ONE WEARING the VENEERS!

We we cement veneers we can make minor changes using different colored cements. If its a huge deal breaker then the veneers need to be remade which is costly.

It's beneficial to everyone involved that BEFORE the veneers are bonded to the tooth structure permanently that you go through a try-in phase (sometimes even with try-in gel to replicate what the underlying cement will do). 

Veneers look very different just examining them on a model vs. visualizing them in the mouth with a try-in gel.  This because the veneer gets a lot of it's color characteristic from the color of the underlying tooth structure in some cases. 

It is obviously best to have the final color picked at the time of impression so the lab makes them this way. Once the lab makes them you can only modify the color slighly by using darker or whiter cements. This can be tried without bonding to see if you like it. The problem is that if you still want them brighter, they have to be sent back to the lab to modify or re-make. Your dentist will also have to make new temporary veneers. The lab may charge an additional fee for re-making them(specially if the lab made the correct color that was originally selected ). So you may be charged an additional fee to make up for the extra lab cost and time spent.

However, if the lab delivered a color that is not as bright as originally selected, then there should not be an extra charge.

The temporary veneers should be a good guide to deciding on a final color. Many times we have patients who may be unsure of the color wear the temporary veneers for several days and come back in to do a final shade selection prior to the lab starting on them.

Hope this helps

Dr. T

When we do veneers in my office we often make the temps light during the trial phase so the patients have an opportunity to make an informed decision about the color of the veneers.  I have never had a patient tell me when they were done that they wished they went darker with the color of the veneers.  Some have wished they went lighter.  Redoing the case can be quite expensive and I would make sure you are happy with the color before it is bonded.  Color changes can slightly be made with the color of the cement that we are using.  Good luck

The best time to decide that you want whiter veneers is when you pick the shade initially (before they are made), the next best time is before you bond them in.  This is much better than after they are bonded.

As far as a fee to change the colour, ... that would be up to your dentist.  I would charge a smaller fee to change the colour before they are bonded than I would after they are bonded.  If you are unsure what to do, talk to your dentist and see what he says.  Once they are bonded, they can be there for a long time.  If you are unhappy with your colour choice, it might be worth it to you to change the colour first.

There are different shades of resin cement that can be used under the veneers.  They can influence the overall color of the veneer somewhat but are limited by the color of the porcelain selected, its thickness, etc.  Significant color change would require the veneers to be redone in a lighter shade of porcelain.  Whether an additional fee is charged is up to your dentist and what the two of you have agreed upon to this point regarding the final color.

As a rule of thumb, the color can be altered slightly but usually darker.  It is less predictable when trying to make them lighter, but sometimes it can be done.  Having the thin porcelain as white as possible and using darker cement gives the most control.

As far as a fee to remake them if they were already made, that is up to the treating dentist and based on previous agreements.  In MY office, there would be a fee, but we would have been very clear at the beginning to avoid surprises.  

If the case is already done, you may find that you are happy with the results and there is nothing to worry about.

We have patients were a "trial smile" that is a certain shade.  Patients will tell us if they want their final smile to be whiter or darker than the color they are wearing in the provisional trial smile.    When the veneers are tried on in the mouth and you look at them, if you want them whiter, the lab may have to completely re-make them.  The cement resin can show through and influence about 10-15% of the color.  The dentist can try an opaque white resin cement to try and lighten them but my experience tells me to send them back to the lab.   We do our best in advance of the veneers being made to make sure the patient  is happy with the color in the trial smile.   We make patients approve the color,  like an inspector approving construction, to make sure they know what color they are getting.  It is very hard on the lab to have to re-make an entire case and we do everything to try and avoid that.