Porcelain laminate veneers are thin porcelain facings, which are bonded onto prepared tooth structures. Veneers are the ultimate way to achieve a predictable beautiful smile with a minimum of tooth reduction, thereby decreasing the likelihood of nerve or tissue damage. Veneers not only change tooth shade and shape, but can create the illusion that the teeth have moved into a more harmonious and pleasing position in the arch. The alluring smile can be achieved in harmony with the individual's masticatory system through proper treatment planning and the diagnostic wax-up. A model (cast) of your teeth will be prepared and sculptured in wax using the information achieved during the smile consultation visit. This wax-up will then be used to create the correct shade and shape of your teeth in a temporary state. These temporary veneers will then be shaped chairside to create the most aesthically pleasing smile. In other words, achieving the optimal form and function of your teeth can only be achieved by first establishing those results in the temporary stage and then duplicating those results in the final restorations.

My practice offers both in-office and home bleaching procedures as a conservative approach to whiter teeth. If your teeth are healthy, and are of good form and position, but need to be brighter, bleaching offers a treatment option that might be right for you. The prevalence of bleaching procedures has created the norm of whiter teeth for certain segments of the population. To accomodate these new bleaching shades, i offer new bleaching colors for veneers and crowns. These new shades can be made to look natural by adjustments to levels of translucency, surface texture, opalescence and specialized characterizations.

Having achieved specialty status as a prosthodontist, I have been able to combine my love for aesthetic dentistry with the complexity of a prosthodontic practice. The specialty of prosthodontics deals with "the branch of dentistry pertaining to the restoration and maintenance of oral function, confort, appearance and oral health of the patient by the restoration of natural teeth and/or the replacement of missing teeth..." In other words, I specialize in total mouth reconstrucion with the benefit of an aesthetic makeover simultaneously. Many situations arise in my day where I must coordinate restorations, crown or bridges, and implants with aesthetic dentistry. My training has allowed me to use porcelain veneer therapy as an adjunct to treatment in the most complex of cases.

Dr. Steven M. Butensky has maintained a private New York City practice for over 20 years as a skilled clinician and lecturer. He received his B.S degree in Chemistry and Environmental Sciences from Syracuse University, his D.D.S degree from the Medical College of Virginia and his certificate in Prostodontics from New York University College of Dentistry. Dr. Butensky is a clinical assistant professor in Post-Graduate Prostodontics at New York University College of Dentistry and teaches the Aesthetic Continuum on Porcelein Laminate Veneers. Additionally he is a Professor of Prosthodontics for Aesthetic Advantage's Hands-on Aesthetic Post-Graduate programs which are presented at New York University, New York City and Palm Beach Community College, Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Steven M. Butensky is a member of the ADA, Academy of Osseointegration, the American College of Prostodontics and a fellow of the Northeastern Gnathological Society.