Porcelain Veneers & Composite Bonding in Mount Lawley

Cost is driven by which option you choose, how many teeth are involved and how much change is required. Porcelain veneers involve laboratory ceramist work, digital design, temporaries and considerable clinical time, and are priced per tooth — porcelain veneers typically sit at the higher end of cosmetic pricing in Australia. Composite bonding is completed chairside without a laboratory and is substantially less per tooth, making it the more accessible starting point for many patients. Because every smile is different, we don't quote generic figures: your consultation includes a full assessment and a written, itemised plan so you know exactly what your treatment costs before you decide. The only fixed prices we publish are our $295 new patient offer, $350 in-chair whitening and $150 take-home whitening.

Bonding tends to suit smaller corrections — a chipped edge, a modest gap, slightly uneven lengths — and patients who want a reversible, lower-cost, single-visit option. Veneers suit larger transformations: significant colour change that whitening can't achieve, multiple teeth needing reshaping, or where you want the longest-lasting and most stain-resistant result. Your bite matters too; heavy grinders and edge-to-edge bites need careful planning either way. At your consultation we'll show you a digital preview and give you a candid recommendation, including the option of doing nothing more than whitening if that gets you most of the way there.

Well-made porcelain veneers commonly last ten to fifteen years or more, and often longer with good maintenance — porcelain resists staining and wear extremely well. Composite bonding generally lasts around five to seven years before it benefits from polishing, repair or refreshing, as resin picks up stain and wears more readily. The good news is that bonding is easy and inexpensive to repair or renew. Longevity for both depends on grinding habits, diet, home care and whether you wear a night guard.

For porcelain veneers, usually a small amount of enamel is refined from the front surface — often less than a millimetre — so the veneer sits flush rather than looking bulky. Some cases suit minimal-preparation or no-preparation veneers. Composite bonding frequently requires no drilling at all, which is one of its major attractions. Dr Frame's approach is deliberately conservative: enamel is irreplaceable, and the aim is always to remove the least possible while still achieving a beautiful, well-fitting result. The trial smile stage helps confirm how much space is genuinely needed.

That's the whole point of the design process. Natural-looking results come from getting proportion, length, surface texture and translucency right — not from the brightest possible white. We use photography and digital design to plan tooth shapes that suit your face, your lip line and your age, then let you preview and adjust them before anything is made. If you want a bolder result, that's your choice and we'll deliver it; but you'll always see it first rather than being surprised at the end.

No — porcelain and composite do not change colour with whitening gel, so any whitening you want must be done beforehand. The correct sequence is to whiten your natural teeth first, allow the shade to stabilise for around two weeks, then match your veneers or bonding to the final colour. If you whiten afterwards, your natural teeth will lighten and your restorations will appear darker by comparison. We plan this order at your first consultation.

Brush twice daily with a non-abrasive toothpaste, clean between the teeth every day, and keep up regular check-ups and cleans so we can polish and monitor the margins. Avoid using your front teeth as tools — opening packets, biting nails, chewing pens and ice are the classic causes of chipped ceramic. If you grind or clench, wear the night guard we provide. Composite in particular benefits from moderating coffee, tea, red wine and smoking, as resin picks up stain over time.

Not at all. The majority of our cosmetic patients want something subtle: closing a small gap, evening out chipped edges, brightening a discoloured front tooth, or restoring worn teeth to their original length. A well-executed smile makeover should look like your own teeth on their best day, not like someone else's. Digital smile design is just as useful for restrained, conservative changes as for dramatic ones — it lets you see and approve exactly how far you want to go.