A new smile is not just about the day the porcelain goes in.
If you are searching for same-day veneers, you are probably thinking about the finish line. How soon can this be done? When will I see the change?
Those are reasonable questions. But in my practice, the temporary smile and the final porcelain are separate steps. That distinction matters.
A preview, not a placeholder
I do not place the final porcelain on prep day. You leave that appointment with a temporary smile.
Here is how I describe that part of the process:
While you’re relaxed, I’m working — designing your teeth by hand, taking custom molds, placing your temporary smile.
The temporaries aren’t a placeholder. They’re a real preview of the final result. You’ll live in them for two weeks.
That is the distinction I want you to understand when you compare timelines. Leaving with temporaries is not the same thing as leaving with final porcelain.
Approval comes before the lab
The design is personal. What looks right on someone else is not automatically what I would choose for you.
This is the approval step in my practice:
Before you leave, we review the new smile together. Color. Shape. Proportion. How it sits on your face when you talk, laugh, eat.
I adjust on the spot until you sign off.
Only then do I send the records to our in-house lab. If something isn’t right, we fix it now — not after the porcelain is fired.
A timeline alone cannot tell you what a smile will look like. I want the conversation to be about your face and what you want, not just the number of appointments.
Final porcelain, two weeks later
The next step is insert day. Two weeks later.
We remove the temporaries and place your final, hand-layered porcelain. I check your bite while you’re still in the chair, take final records, photograph the new smile, and scan you for a custom nightguard.
You leave knowing exactly how to take care of what we just made.
Start with your own consultation
I am describing how I work, not making a judgment about every treatment labeled same-day. That phrase alone does not tell me what someone is having done or what is appropriate for their teeth.
Your starting point is a consultation. The mouth you have and the one you want are both part of that conversation.
I see patients in Beverly Hills and New York.
Continue reading: How long do veneers last? · Porcelain veneers in Beverly Hills: what to expect
Common questions
Do you place final veneers on prep day?
No. On prep day I place your temporary smile. Your final, hand-layered porcelain is placed on insert day, two weeks later.
Are the temporaries just a placeholder?
No. The temporaries are a real preview of the final result. You live in them for two weeks.
When do I approve the new smile?
Before you leave prep day, we review the new smile together. I adjust on the spot until you sign off. Only then do I send the records to our in-house lab.
This article is general information only and not a substitute for a personal exam and treatment plan from your own dentist.
Cosmetic dentist at Apa Aesthetic in Beverly Hills and New York since 2015. NYU College of Dentistry. Founder and Chief Education Officer of Stribe, where she has trained more than 1,000 dentists.
About Dr. Andi
