ProVeneer provides affordable, natural-looking veneers in a single dental visit
Veneers can literally change a patient’s smile. For some patients, however, the expense and time commitment required for conventional veneers can put this life-altering cosmetic improvement out of reach. That’s why Silmet developed ProVeneer, which is described as a resin-based foundation material that allows dentists to create a veneer in 15 minutes or less in one visit to achieve natural-looking results at an affordable price.
Dr. Michael LaMarche was among a team of dentists who recently evaluated ProVeneer for Dental Product Shopper, reporting on everything from handling and working time to patient satisfaction.
“[ProVeneer] provides an immediate solution for the esthetic-minded patient at a cost that’s more affordable than ceramic veneers or crowns,” LaMarche shared. “The relatively low cost of material, easy handling characteristics, and great esthetics provide a great cost-effective alternative for patients.”
Handling, Working Time, and Consistency
According to Silmet, ProVeneer is the only material developed specifically for creating lab-free reversible veneers. It has a bubble-free consistency and does not require layering or in-office laboratory processing. With a unique Bis-GMA-TEGDMA-UDMA balance that keeps the material from sticking to gloves and instruments, ProVeneer can be cemented in less than 15 minutes per tooth. The system includes all tools and materials necessary for quick, natural-looking reversible veneers in one dental visit.
Dr. Lucynda Raben said it was great to find “a veneer solution without the lab time” and added that ProVeneer’s ease of use made for a very successful appointment. “The working time is more than adequate for the slowest of practitioners—without the fear of setting up while sculpting the material,” said Dr. LaMarche. With other veneer systems, Dr. Sherwood Tucker found that adding composite veneers piecemeal would sometimes lead to bubbles. With ProVeneer, the composite is added in one piece so there is less chance of bubbles developing, Dr. Tucker said.
The ProVeneer technique can be learned in a simple training webinar on Silmet’s website. Dr. Karen-Lee Jones Stewart said the video training was excellent and she was well-prepared for her first case. Dr. Tucker said a younger colleague, who hadn’t done many veneers, “was able to learn the technique quickly and completely, [and] the finished product was superb.”
Esthetics: Finishing and Polishing
“We loved being able to go from start to finish with a product that’s so easy to work with and looks so natural,” said Dr. Raben, whose favorite feature was “the ability to have a very thin covering with tremendous results.” Dr. Cynthia Leung, who said she would like to see more shades in the future, noted, “I love that the material polishes up to a great finish.”
According to Silmet, ProVeneer maintains translucency to provide a natural appearance while masking out many tooth discolorations. After receiving ProVeneers, an elderly patient of Dr. Stewart’s was amazed that her teeth were the color they had been before being damaged in an accident when she was 22.
Patient Satisfaction
ProVeneers are affordable, can be prequalified in 2 minutes with Silmet’s Smile Preview, and produce same-day results, which leads to high patient satisfaction and improved self-esteem, according to Silmet. The reversible veneers do not damage teeth and can be removed if needed.
Describing a patient with amelogenesis imperfecta, Dr. Leung said, “ProVeneer gave me an opportunity to offer a product that’s very close to a lab veneer without the high cost of lab work.” In the end, Dr. Leung added, “This product improved this patient’s total outlook of her smile.” Dr. Philip Harper said he placed a ProVeneer for half the cost of traditional veneers and the patient loved it. In general, he said, patients loved the instant results. Describing ProVeneer as “a quick fix for patients who cannot afford crowns and veneers,” Dr. Patrick Liedl said, “I was able to provide a nice cosmetic result for the price of a composite restoration.”
Referring to the Smile Preview feature, Dr. Tucker remarked, “Patients usually can’t visualize the finished product, and the dentist doesn’t know how the patient will react. ProVeneer eliminates both these potential headaches…[and] this helps me see if there will be any problems, like the occlusion, etc.” Dr. Tucker added, “I can plan for it and not have to revamp or even redo the final product.” Describing a patient with peg laterals and a diastema resulting in a “half smile” and low self-esteem, Dr. LaMarche said that after receiving ProVeneers, “He can’t stop looking in the mirror and admiring himself.”
Overall Satisfaction
Dr. John Newland concluded that ProVeneer is a good, single-visit alternative to ceramic restorations, and Dr. Liedl called it “a valuable arrow in your restorative quiver.” Dr. LaMarche said ProVeneer is a great material that he will keep in his inventory for situations when immediate results are required. And Dr. Raben, who has continued to use ProVeneer on her patients after finishing the DPS evaluation, summarized, “It’s predictable, it works, and it’s fun to use!”
