When porcelain veneers are made a dentist follows a fairly standardized set of steps, beginning with an initial consultation with the prospective patient and ending with the actual placement of the dental veneers...
All porcelain veneer cases need to begin with an initial consultation. During this appointment the dental patient needs to express to the dentist the kinds of changes they would like to make with their smile. The dentist in turn needs to explain to the prospective dental patient what aspect of those changes seem realistic and the various ways in which modern dentistry can be used to achieve them.
As you might imagine porcelain veneers are not the right solution in every situation. Teeth whitening treatments, porcelain veneers, dental crowns, orthodontic treatment, or even dentures (at an extreme) could conceivably each be used to achieve a similar cosmetic end result, if the appropriate initial conditions existed.
It is the dentist's place to determine which of the various types of dental treatments or procedures they have in their arsenal could be a suitable means by which to address a patient's concerns. After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each technique it is then the dental patient's place to make their own (now informed) decision about which approach seems most appropriate for them.
If the dentist and dental patient do decide that porcelain veneers will likely be pursued then the dentist will probably want to demonstrate more fully what the expected end result of the proposed porcelain veneer treatment plan will be. If the shape and alignment of the patient's teeth is already pleasing and it is only some aspect related to the color of the teeth that will be changed then this demonstration can be quite simple. A dentist might simply show the patient selections from a dental shade guide that seem representative of the type of color change that should be possible with the new porcelain veneers.
Another way for a dentist to communicate the proposed cosmetic changes of a porcelain veneer treatment plan is with dental imaging. Using this technique a digital photograph is taken of the patient's smile. The dentist or a member of their staff then uses computer software to edit the photograph in a fashion that illustrates the changes that the porcelain veneers should be able to make. We have a whole section of cosmetic dental imaging examples here on Dental-Picture-Show.com.
There will be some cases where the porcelain veneer treatment plan being proposed will include making some fairly significant shape and apparent alignment changes with the patient's teeth. In this type of situation it is certainly best if the dentist can give the patient a three-dimensional understanding of the changes they have proposed.
One way the changes can be demonstrated is with the use of plaster casts. A dentist can take a dental impression of the patient and subsequently use it to create a plaster mold of their teeth. The teeth on this mold can then be sculpted (either by trimming away plaster or by applying white colored wax) until they simulate the contours that the teeth are expected to have once the porcelain veneers have been placed.
Another three-dimensional approach is for the dentist to use dental bonding material (dental composite) and mock-up, directly on the patient's teeth, the shape changes that the proposed porcelain veneer case will make. This type demonstration mock-up is only temporary. When the dentist places the dental composite they will omit the "bonding" step that is usually employed with this material. This way the dental composite will be easy to remove from the patient's teeth once they have had a chance to evaluate the changes that the mock-up has illustrated.
Of course if the proposed porcelain veneer treatment plan requires significant tooth trimming, say to redefine a tooth's outline form before the veneer is placed, this mock-up approach will not be possible. And as you can imagine, it will take the dentist a fair amount of time to create this type of simulation. You will have to expect that performing a mock-up will add to the overall cost of the porcelain veneer treatment plan.
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