New Hanover County · Since 1987
Veneers in Porters Neck, NC
A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain bonded to the front of a tooth. It changes shape, shade and alignment in one step without moving the tooth.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
veneers, explained
Veneers solve the problems whitening cannot: a tooth that is worn short, one that sits slightly behind its neighbor, a gap that orthodontics would take a year to close.
This treatment in Porters Neck
More than a third of Porters Neck is 65 or older, and almost nobody moves, vacancy here runs around seven percent.
Cosmetic work after sixty is usually about wear rather than color. Teeth that have been shortening for decades change the whole lower face, and putting the length back does more for how someone looks than whitening ever could.
A lot of the restorative work we do for Porters Neck involves replacing crowns and bridges placed elsewhere in the 1990s.
Porters Neck Plantation and Porters Neck Village together hold much of the community's older population, and both are a straight run down Market Street.
Vacancy here is around seven percent, so patients tend to stay with a practice for decades rather than years.
We see patients from across Porters Neck and the surrounding area, including Porters Neck Plantation, Porters Neck Village, Poplar Grove and the 28411 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
For treatment at this level we do the planning properly before anything starts: records, a scan, and a written phased plan you take home and think about. Nobody signs anything at the first appointment.
This is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
You may be a candidate if
- Front teeth that are chipped, worn or uneven in length
- Stains that whitening has not touched, including tetracycline banding
- Small gaps between the front teeth
- Teeth that are slightly rotated where full orthodontics feels excessive
- Healthy gums and no untreated decay
How the treatment runs
- Photography and designWe measure tooth proportion against your lip line and face, then design to that.
- Mock-upA trial shape goes over your teeth so you can see it before we prepare anything.
- PreparationMinimal enamel reduction. Some cases need almost none.
- TemporariesYou live in the shape for a couple of weeks and report back.
- BondingFinal porcelain is bonded and polished.
Afterwards
Treat them like teeth. Brush, floss, do not open packaging with them. If you grind at night, wear the guard we make you, because that is the single most common reason a veneer fails early.
If getting to follow-up visits is difficult, tell us. We can often combine checks into fewer, longer appointments.
What it costs
Veneers are priced per tooth, and most cases involve six to ten. Cost varies with the porcelain system and how much correction the case needs. You get a written plan with the exact tooth count before we begin.
If you are on Medicare, note that it does not cover routine dental treatment. Many supplement plans include a limited dental benefit with an annual cap, and we will check yours before quoting anything.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Carter Lee
Dr. Lee on fixing only what needs fixing, and what it is like to hand a patient the mirror after a smile transformation.
Questions we get asked
Do you have to file down my teeth?
Some enamel reduction is usual, though it is measured in fractions of a millimeter. Certain cases can be done with almost no preparation at all.
Can I have just one veneer?
Yes, and matching a single veneer to neighboring natural teeth is the hardest thing in cosmetic dentistry. We do it, and we take the extra records to get the shade right.
How far is your office from Porters Neck?
About 13 miles, or roughly 22 minutes via Market Street (US-17) or I-140 to MLK Jr. Parkway. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Porters Neck?
Regularly. Porters Neck is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and this is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Veneers · Porters Neck, NC
See the result before it is permanent.
Every cosmetic case is mocked up and worn in temporary form before anything final is made. You approve the shape and the shade.
- Cosmetic dentistry is the practice's stated specialty
- Digital design and trial smile before preparation
- Shade-matched lab work with in-person verification
- 50,000+ patients treated since 1987
Afraid of the overdone look? So are we. The brief on nearly every case here is to look like yourself, rested.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
