Porcelain veneers are one of the most versatile ways to refine a smile, and at Kentfield Dental we approach them the way we approach everything: aesthetics first, conservatively, and with as little guesswork as possible. Dr. Soroush Ghaffarpour ("Dr. G") designs each case digitally so you can preview your new smile before treatment begins. Whether you're a Kentfield neighbor or visiting our Sir Francis Drake Blvd office from Greenbrae, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Mill Valley or anywhere in greater Marin County, the goal is the same — a result designed to look like your own teeth, only better.
What are porcelain veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin, custom-crafted shells of dental ceramic bonded to the front surfaces of your teeth. Because porcelain reflects light much like natural enamel, well-made veneers are designed to blend in rather than stand out — they can brighten color, close small gaps, reshape worn or uneven edges, improve proportion, and make slightly crooked or short teeth look straighter and fuller, all without metal or dark lines at the gum.
Veneers are a cosmetic restoration, so they're elective and highly personal. Some Marin patients want a single veneer to match a tooth that resists whitening; others want a full-smile makeover across the teeth that show when they talk and laugh. Dr. G's philosophy is conservative: keep prep to the minimum the design actually requires, and only treat the teeth that genuinely need it to reach your goal.
How we do veneers at Kentfield Dental
Great veneers are equal parts artistry and engineering, so we lean on both. Every case starts with a digital intraoral scan using our 3Shape and Primescan 2 scanners — no goopy molds, no gagging on impression trays. From that scan we build a digital smile design, a true-to-scale preview of proposed shape, length, color and proportion that you can see and react to before any prep begins. We'd rather refine the plan on a screen than on your teeth. Because so much of our lab work is handled in-house, including Formlabs 3D-printed models and provisionals, we keep your case tightly controlled from design to delivery, and we show you exactly what we see along the way with MouthWatch intraoral cameras. It's the same in-house, while-you-wait philosophy Marin patients know us for — Dr. G continues the 47-year Kentfield legacy of founding dentist Dr. John Herschleb, now with a fully digital workflow.
- Digital smile-design preview so you can approve the look before treatment starts
- 3Shape and Primescan 2 digital scanning — no traditional impression molds
- In-house Formlabs 3D printing for models, mock-ups and temporaries, often same day
- Conservative, enamel-preserving prep guided by the approved design
- MouthWatch intraoral cameras so you can see your teeth the way we do
- A soft-tissue dental laser to gently refine the gum line and frame the smile when needed
Why patients choose us for this
Designed before it's done
A digital smile-design preview lets you see and adjust the proposed shape, length and color before any tooth is touched — so the final look is a decision you make, not a surprise.
Conservative by design
Dr. G keeps preparation to the minimum the case requires, aiming to preserve healthy enamel wherever possible while still reaching your aesthetic goals.
Color that resists staining
Porcelain is highly stain-resistant, so unlike natural enamel your veneers are designed to hold their color rather than darkening from coffee, tea or red wine the way untreated teeth often can over the years.
Natural, light-like translucency
Quality dental porcelain reflects light much like real enamel, helping veneers look like your own teeth rather than an obvious overlay.
Can address several issues at once
A single veneer treatment can address color, small gaps, worn edges, minor crowding and uneven proportion together — often a streamlined alternative to multiple separate treatments.
Built and managed in-house
In-house digital design and 3D printing mean fewer hand-offs, tighter quality control and a smoother experience for our Marin patients.
What to expect
Consultation & smile design
We discuss your goals, examine your teeth and gums, and capture a digital scan. From it, Dr. G creates a digital smile-design preview so you can see and shape the proposed result before treatment begins.
Conservative preparation
Once you approve the design, we gently prepare the teeth — removing only the minimal porcelain-thin layer the plan calls for — and take a final digital scan. Where it helps, you'll wear a 3D-printed provisional to test-drive the new look.
Crafting your veneers
Your custom veneers are made to the approved design and color, with our in-house digital workflow keeping shape, shade and fit tightly controlled from start to finish.
Bonding & final polish
We try in the veneers so you can see them in your own smile, then bond each one precisely, fine-tune the bite and edges, and polish to a natural luster — often refining the gum frame with our soft-tissue laser when it elevates the result.
Your comfort matters. If dental visits make you anxious, you're in good company here — Dr. G is known for a calm, comfort-focused approach, and the digital scanning workflow means no gag-inducing impression trays. He also speaks Spanish, so Marin patients can discuss their smile goals in the language they're most comfortable in.
Are porcelain veneers right for you?
Veneers are a wonderful fit for healthy teeth that need cosmetic refinement rather than structural repair. The best way to know is a consultation — Dr. G will examine your teeth and gums, listen to what you'd like to change, and talk through whether veneers, conservative bonding, whitening, Invisalign or a combination will get you there. For some smiles, a less involved option does the job beautifully, and we'll tell you so. Good candidates typically have healthy teeth and gums, realistic goals, and habits (like nighttime grinding) we can plan around — often with a custom nightguard we can 3D-print in-house.
- You'd like to improve the color, shape, length or proportion of teeth that show when you smile
- You have small gaps, chips, worn edges or minor crowding you want refined
- Whitening alone hasn't gotten your teeth as bright or even as you'd like
- Your teeth and gums are healthy, with any decay or gum issues treated first
- You're looking for a cosmetic change and want to preview the result before committing
Frequently asked questions
With good care, porcelain veneers can last many years — often well over a decade. Longevity depends on your bite, oral hygiene and habits like grinding, so a custom nightguard, which we can 3D-print in-house, can help protect them.
No — well-planned veneers are designed to be conservative. Dr. G removes only the minimal enamel the design requires, and our digital smile-design step lets us preview the result first so we can avoid over-preparing healthy tooth structure.
A veneer covers only the front of a tooth to improve its appearance, while a crown caps the entire tooth for strength. Veneers are typically the more conservative, cosmetic choice for healthy teeth, whereas crowns are used when a tooth needs structural protection.
Yes — that's a core part of how we work at our Kentfield office. We create a digital smile-design preview from your scan, and where it helps you can test-drive the look with a 3D-printed mock-up before any permanent work is done.
Porcelain is highly stain-resistant, so veneers generally hold their color far better than natural enamel. Coffee, tea and red wine that darken untreated teeth tend to have much less effect on quality porcelain, though good hygiene still matters.
It depends on how many teeth show when you smile and what you'd like to change. Some patients refine a single tooth, while a full-smile makeover often involves the teeth visible across your smile line — Dr. G will recommend the most conservative number that achieves your goal at your consultation.
Kentfield Dental offers custom porcelain veneers at our office on Sir Francis Drake Blvd in Kentfield, serving Greenbrae, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Mill Valley and the greater Marin County area. Dr. G designs each case digitally and is happy to discuss your goals in English or Spanish — call (415) 456-5402 to book a consultation.