ULTRA-BRIGHT IDEAS PORCELAIN VENEERS ARE REMAKING SMILES AND RESHAPING SELF-IMAGES.

Byline: La Rue Novick Staff Writer

Not everyone needs an extreme makeover to make them smile again. Some just need a few porcelain veneers.

When Bill Pearce of Claremont fell and broke his two front teeth, he sought help from his longtime dentist and friend, Dr. Harry C. Brown, also in Claremont. Brown recommended veneers.

``Harry told me I had to,'' Pearce said, jokingly. ``To be honest, my daughter told me I looked like a hillbilly.''

Porcelain veneers - very thin shells made of tooth-colored material that are bonded to the front surface of teeth - have become increasingly popular thanks to reality cosmetic surgery shows such as ``Extreme Makeover'' and ``The Swan.'' According to an American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery poll, the use of veneers has increased by more than 250 percent in the past five years. The demand for veneers is second only to teeth whitening among people ages 20 to 50.

``People are not mystified anymore about veneers,'' Brown said.

Individuals choose porcelain veneers - which dramatically change the color, shape, size or length of their natural teeth - for all sorts of reasons. They could have crooked, broken, misshapen or stained teeth or could have unsightly gaps between their teeth.

Veneers are far more expensive than crowns - usually between $600 and $1,300 a tooth - and, in most cases, dental insurance will not cover the cost because they are considered cosmetic. They will also need to be replaced in about 10 to 20 years.

``The longevity of veneers is about the same as crowns, as long as they are done with care and you practice good dental hygiene and your teeth come together nicely,'' said Dr. Tony Cabrera, a dentist in Chino.

Mary Hoagland, 61, of Diamond Bar had five veneers placed on her bottom front teeth about five months ago at Cabrera's office. Her bottom teeth had begun to degenerate due to a severe gum disease brought about by her epilepsy medication. After every meal, Hoagland had to scrape out the tiny craters that had formed on the tops of her bottom teeth.

``I didn't think there was any help for me,'' she said. ``And now I have these teeth that are so beautiful!''

Hoagland already had upper dentures and didn't want lower dentures, so she opted for veneers.

``To keep my own teeth was really a big plus to me,'' she said.

Hoagland is not the only one smiling a lot these days.

John Andrade, 40, of San Dimas got a total of 12 veneers (six on top and six on the bottom) placed on his front teeth about a year ago by Brown. Andrade said he had pneumonia seven times by age 3 and the antibiotics he took stained his permanent teeth long before they poked through the gum line. They were striped with brownish hues.

``It looked like the Grand Canyon,'' he said. ``It was bad, everybody thought I had rotten teeth. It was a bummer.''

His childhood dentist painted his teeth with a permanent color that looked yellow, Andrade said.

``That was embarrassing,'' he added.

Brown whitened Andrade's teeth first to take them down a few shades before bonding veneers to them.

``You can't even tell. It looks like all my teeth are perfect,'' Andrade said. ``Everyone tells me I look like I have a movie star mouth. Really, I look like I should be on the news or something.''

Pearce, a physiology professor at Loma Linda University, wasn't going for the movie-star look. What he really wanted was to protect the integrity of his broken front teeth. Veneers were the best choice. He had the tooth on each side of his front top teeth (for a total of four) done, too, because those two had several fillings that were old and worn, Brown said.

``I broke my teeth off, but as a result my teeth are going to look way better,'' Pearce said, noting he wouldn't have gotten veneers otherwise.

Brown wrote a prescription for Pearce's veneers and sent it to the dental laboratory he has worked with exclusively for almost 20 years. Dentists send precise, detailed instructions to lab technicians so they can custom-make each patient's veneers. Instructions include size, shape, color and other important information.

Some dentists call it art.

``Materials have really excelled in the last five years,'' Cabrera said. ``The porcelain being prepared by the manufacturers is prettier, much more durable, less abrasive to natural teeth ... and now, the laboratory people are more tuned into being artists. They're the ones who make us look good.''

Before the veneers arrive, patients' teeth must be reshaped and prepared for them. Most dentists use an instrument that only cuts to a 1/2-millimeter depth, Brown said, so there's no guesswork. Temporaries are then put on and the patient returns in about two weeks. In some cases where the teeth are too crooked, braces might be required first.

When Pearce returned to Brown's office, he had his temporaries removed, teeth polished and prepared with a conditioner to get them ready for the adhesives.

``The real key to veneers today is the adhesives. They're better and stronger,'' said Cabrera.

After Brown bonded the veneers to Pearce's teeth, he told his patient, ``You look 18 years old, except for the gray (hair).''

The two chuckled.

``They look better than the originals,'' Pearce later said.

If you are considering porcelain veneers, you may be asked to bring in a picture of teeth you'd like to have. Know what to expect from the procedure and talk to your dentist about the risks. For example, the process is not reversible and your teeth could become more sensitive to hot and cold temperatures.

The benefits of porcelain veneers are they are incredibly strong, resist stains and plaque and, especially today, look quite natural.

``Veneers will be better, I just can't imagine how,'' Brown said. ``They're already thinner, lighter, stronger. ... If they're done well, they feel just like natural teeth.''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Miles of SMILES 

Porcelain veneers give teeth a beautiful new look

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(2) Dr. Harry Brown places veneers on Bill Pearce's front teeth.

Medina Fejzagic DiMartino/Staff Photographer

(3) BEFORE

(4) AFTER

Photos courtesy of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry