Applewood and West Lakewood have a particular kind of charm. Tree-lined streets, midcentury homes, neighbors who’ve lived here for decades. Many of our patients have updated those homes — new kitchens, refinished floors, fresh paint on the trim.
At some point, a lot of them look in the mirror and think the same thing about their smile.
Years of coffee, old fillings showing through the front teeth, edges worn down from grinding — these things add up. Whitening alone can’t fix it. Bonding only goes so far. That’s usually when we start talking about porcelain veneers Lakewood patients have been quietly considering for years.
Veneers are thin shells of porcelain bonded to the front of your teeth. They reshape, recolor, and refine the smile without crowning the whole tooth. Done well, they look like teeth — not like dental work.
The catch is the planning. A veneer plan needs multiple short visits — a consult, prep, fitting, final bond. Color matching is precise work. So is shape. Driving 40 minutes each way for a series of appointments wears thin fast. A nearby Lakewood office cuts that drive down to roughly 12 minutes from central Applewood, which makes the whole process easier to commit to.
Consultations run weekday mornings and afternoons. We’ll show you what’s possible before you decide anything.
Smile Concerns Veneers Solve for Applewood Adults
Most of our Applewood patients don’t come in asking for veneers by name. They come in with a specific concern — and after a consult, veneers turn out to be the cleanest fix.
The most common reasons we hear:
- Deep stains that whitening can’t lift, often from antibiotics taken decades ago
- Chipped or worn edges from years of nighttime grinding
- Small gaps between front teeth that don’t justify months of aligners
- Older fillings showing dark lines or discoloration on front teeth
- Uneven shapes where one tooth sits shorter or rotated next to its neighbor
A lot of these issues build slowly. You don’t notice them in daily mirror checks. Then a family photo or a candid shot from a work event catches the smile at the wrong angle, and suddenly it’s all you can see.
For longtime Applewood homeowners — especially those investing in the house, the kitchen, the garden — the smile is often the last thing on the list. Veneers can be done one tooth at a time or as a full upper arch of eight to ten teeth. The plan flexes to your goals and your budget.
Choosing Veneers Over Bonding or Crowns
Three different fixes, three different jobs. Knowing the difference saves you money and protects your teeth.
Bonding uses tooth-colored composite resin shaped onto the surface. It’s fast, affordable, and great for a small chip or a single tooth. The trade-off is that composite stains over time and chips again with grinding. Most bonding gets touched up every five to ten years.
Crowns cover the entire tooth. They’re built for teeth that are cracked, root-canaled, or heavily decayed. Getting a crown means drilling down most of the natural tooth structure underneath. For a healthy front tooth, that’s overkill.
Veneers sit in the middle. They’re thin shells bonded only to the front surface, which means much less drilling than a crown. Porcelain resists coffee, tea, and red wine stains far better than composite bonding. They also catch light the way real enamel does — that subtle translucent quality that bonding can’t quite match.
The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry has a good breakdown of how cosmetic procedures compare if you want to read more before your consult.
A consult helps you pick what fits each tooth — not a one-size answer for the whole smile.
The Veneer Process From Consult to Final Bond
The whole process usually runs three to four weeks across three main visits. Here’s what each one looks like.
Visit 1 — Consult and design. We take photos, do a 3D scan, and walk you through a digital “smile design” preview on a screen. You see the proposed shape and color before any work happens. If something feels off, we adjust the design first.
Visit 2 — Prep and temporaries. A thin layer of enamel comes off the front of each tooth getting a veneer. Temporary veneers go on right away so you can test-drive the look at home for a couple of weeks. This is your chance to flag anything — too long, too white, too square.
Visit 3 — Final bond. Custom porcelain veneers are crafted in a lab to match your face, skin tone, and the temporaries you’ve worn. Fitting and final bonding usually takes under two hours.
For nervous patients, this is where comfort matters. Ceiling-mounted Netflix, noise-canceling headphones, and nitrous oxide sedation are all available. Most patients tell us the visit felt shorter than they expected.
Quick callout: The temporary phase isn’t just decorative. It’s your chance to live with the new smile shape for a couple of weeks. Speak, eat, smile in photos. Anything you want changed, we change before the final veneers are made.
Caring for Veneers Through Applewood Winters
Veneers last a long time when you treat them right. The basics aren’t complicated.
Brush twice a day. Floss daily, just like natural teeth. Skip biting hard items — ice, popcorn kernels, pen caps. None of those mix well with porcelain.
A nightguard matters more than people think. Stress weeks and grinding go together, and porcelain doesn’t bend the way enamel does. A custom guard protects the investment for the long haul. The American Dental Association has straightforward info on grinding and nightguards if you want to read more.
A few Applewood-specific notes:
- Mountain winds and dry winter air can sensitize teeth — a desensitizing toothpaste helps
- Routine cleanings every six months polish veneers without scratching them
- Skip charcoal toothpaste and abrasive whitening pastes that dull the surface over time
- Touch-up whitening keeps your natural teeth matched to the veneer shade
Porcelain doesn’t stain like natural enamel, but the natural teeth around the veneers still do. Keeping the shade matched is part of the long-term plan.
Driving to Our Lakewood Office From Applewood and West Lakewood
The office sits on W Jefferson Ave near Highway 121, also known as S Wadsworth Blvd.
Most Applewood patients take Kipling Street south or Wadsworth Boulevard south. From central Applewood, the drive runs roughly 12 to 15 minutes depending on traffic. US-6 then south on Wadsworth is the most common route during peak hours.
Free surface parking is right outside the door. No garage walk, no parking app, no meter feeding.
Veneer work needs precise visits — color matching, fitting, bonding. A short drive makes the whole process easier to keep on schedule. We’re open Monday through Thursday with early-morning slots that fit before the workday starts.
Balanced Dental Studio 7373 W Jefferson Ave STE 104, Lakewood, CO 80235 (303) 989-3192
FAQ
How long does a full veneer plan take from start to finish?
Most veneer plans take 3–4 weeks from consult to final bond, with three main appointments. The longest stretch is the lab time between prep and final fitting.
How far is the office from central Applewood?
The drive is typically 12–15 minutes via Kipling or Wadsworth south. US-6 then south on Wadsworth is the most common route during commute hours.
Will my veneers look natural for client meetings?
Yes — porcelain catches light like real enamel, and the shape is matched to your face during the design phase. We aim for a smile that looks like yours, just refined.
Can I get veneers if I grind my teeth at night?
Yes, with a nightguard included as part of treatment to protect your investment. Without one, grinding can chip porcelain over time.
Do veneers stain from coffee like natural teeth?
Porcelain resists coffee, tea, and wine stains far better than natural enamel or bonding. Surface stains can be polished off at routine cleanings.
How long do porcelain veneers last?
High-quality porcelain veneers typically last 15-20 years or longer with proper care. Their longevity depends on your oral hygiene habits, diet, and lifestyle choices. Regular dental checkups, avoiding hard foods that could chip veneers, and wearing a nightguard if you grind your teeth will maximize their lifespan.
