Brinate · no-prep veneers
BRIDE + LAMINATE, BRIGHT + LAMINATE — Brinate
We don’t shave.We place.
Wonjin Dental Clinic’s no-prep veneer, layered by hand to 0.1mm or thinner.
Brinate ispainless
We add porcelain powder one layer at a time, fire it, and repeat, building the sheet by hand. That is how it reaches a thickness of 0.1mm or less, thinner than a sheet of paper. The color is not painted on the surface either. We match it from within as we build.
At this thinness, there is no need to cut out a space for the porcelain. It can be placed as is without looking thick, so your enamel stays intact. Enamel is the layer that never grows back once it is shaved, and bonding onto it also holds better.
Because nothing is shaved, there is almost no pain. You don’t need anesthesia, and since there is no shaved area, nothing needs a temporary cover. While your veneers are being made, you simply keep your own teeth as they are.
Before and after
Veneers vs Brinate
Veneers and Brinate are both treatments that bond a thin sheet of porcelain to the front of the front teeth. The bonding is the same, but the way the space is made is different. A veneer shaves the front surface by the thickness of the porcelain to make room. Brinate does not shave. It is placed on top as is.
Why no shaving is needed
Because each sheet is made by hand. We add a thin layer of porcelain powder and fire it, then add another and fire it again, over and over. A sheet built up this way is 0.1mm or thinner, thinner than a sheet of paper. At this thinness, there is no need to cut out a separate space, and it does not stick out when placed directly on the front surface.
Because nothing is shaved, your enamel stays intact. Enamel is the hardest layer in the body, but once shaved, it never grows back. Bonding onto healthy enamel holds better, and since there is no shaved area, you need no anesthesia and no temporary teeth. Until the day you come in for bonding, you keep your own teeth as they are.
A front surface that has been shaved has to stay covered from then on. If the veneer comes off, the shaved area shows, so it has to be covered again. Brinate does not shave the front surface. If you change your mind, it can be removed, and the unshaved surface is still there underneath.
What makes Brinate different
With Brinate, we put particular care into color. Even though not a bit of the tooth is shaved, the color actually comes out better.
Color comes from three layers
The porcelain is thinner than paper, so what is underneath shows through. The color you see is not the color of a single layer. It is one color made by the porcelain, the bonding cement and your own tooth together.
An enlarged cross-section of the front surface of a front tooth. The thickness is exaggerated so it is easier to see.
Porcelain color
The single sheet of porcelain on top. Because it is made by adding and firing porcelain one layer at a time, the first layer touching the tooth can be a masking powder that blocks light. If the color underneath is dark, we add more of it, but the masking layer also adds thickness, so when the color is very dark, we do whitening first.
The thickness differs from area to area. The color is not painted on the surface. It shows through from between the layers.
Wonjin’s principleWe first add a masking layer on the tooth side to block light, so the color underneath does not show straight through. On top of that, we build up layer by layer by hand to match the color. If you are not satisfied with the result, our principle is to make it again.
Cement color
Between the tooth and the porcelain is one layer of bonding cement. It is very thin, but because porcelain lets light through, the color of this layer shows through. Also, once bonded, it cannot be changed.
Wonjin’s principleWe keep cement in several colors. To choose the color precisely, we try it on with temporary cement, changing it three times, and do the final bonding only after you see it and decide yourself.
Tooth color
The bottom layer, which stays as it is because nothing is shaved. A thin sheet lets light through, so this color shows through. That is why we choose the two layers above to match this color.
A color chart held next to the tooth in the treatment room. The number after the letter shows depth. "A2" is the second lightest shade in the reddish-brown group.
Wonjin’s principleIn the treatment room, we hold a shade guide (color chart) next to the tooth to measure the color. This color, left unshaved, is the base, so we match the two layers above to it.
Types of Brinate
A sheet layered by hand is 0.1mm or thinner. A machine pressing it out cannot reach this. It is a thickness you get only when a person builds it one layer at a time. All three types are placed without shaving the tooth. What differs is how each sheet is made.
BrinateBasicTime neededSame day possible
Pressed by machine, then refined
A block of porcelain is pressed into a single sheet, and color is applied to the surface. When people say no-prep veneers, they usually mean this method. The results are consistent, and it is the fastest of the three to make.
BrinateBuild-upTime needed1 week
Layered by hand, one layer at a time
Porcelain powder is added one layer at a time and fired, again and again. The color is not painted on the surface but shows through from inside, so it can match even the translucent tip of a natural tooth.
BrinatePlatinumTime needed2 weeks
Layered more precisely on platinum foil
A very thin platinum foil is fitted over the model, porcelain is built up on top, and then the foil is peeled away. The edges are finished very thin, so the border at the gumline, which stays visible because nothing is shaved, looks clean.
Common questions
Won’t they look thick?
It depends on how they are made. Pressed Basic is about 0.3mm, the thickness of three or four sheets of paper. Hand-layered Build-up and Platinum are 0.1mm or less, thinner than one sheet of paper. Either way, the edges are thinner still and cannot be seen from the gum side. If the tooth was set back to begin with, that thickness helps it line up with the teeth next to it. We do not treat teeth that stick out a lot, and if it would be difficult, we tell you so first.
Does it hurt?
Because the tooth is not shaved, there is almost no pain. The process is cleaning the surface and bonding, so there is little to no sensitivity either. If you feel discomfort when we work near the gums, please let us know.
How many visits does it take?
Two visits. On the first day, we decide the color and shape and take impressions. At the next visit, we bond the finished veneers. Only the time in between depends on the method: Basic can be done the same day, Build-up takes 1 week and Platinum takes 2 weeks. Since your teeth are not shaved, nothing needs a temporary cover while you wait. You simply keep your own teeth as they are.
Won’t they come off?
They are bonded to unshaved enamel, so they hold better. However, biting through hard food with your front teeth can make them come off or break, so please avoid just that. If one comes off, we bond it again.
How is it different from veneers?
The bonding process is the same. What differs is the step before bonding. A veneer shaves the front of the tooth by the thickness to be bonded, but Brinate does not. So if Brinate is removed, your own tooth remains as it was. When it is removed, the cement is cleaned off and the outer layer is smoothed very slightly, so we cannot say it is "exactly the same as before anything was done." Still, it is not comparable to a tooth that has been shaved.
How much tooth is shaved for veneers?
A standard veneer shaves the enamel on the front surface by the thickness of the porcelain to be bonded. Enamel that has been shaved never grows back. Brinate is built up thin, at 0.1mm or less, so it is bonded as is without shaving. However, for teeth that stick out a lot, adding a layer without shaving would make them look even more prominent, so we do not treat them.
How much do veneers cost?
It depends on how they are made. Even for the same veneer, the work and time involved differ depending on whether it is pressed from a mold (Basic) or layered by hand one layer at a time (Build-up, Platinum), so the price differs too. The price per tooth is listed item by item on the fees page, and the number of teeth is decided after we look at your teeth during consultation.
Do people ever regret getting veneers?
Regret usually comes after the teeth have been shaved. A shaved tooth cannot be restored, so even if you don’t like the color or shape, the only option is to cover it again. Brinate does not shave, so if it is removed, your own tooth remains. That is why Wonjin Dental Clinic first checks whether treatment is possible. If your teeth are not a fit, we tell you first that it won’t work and recommend another option.
I have wedding photos coming up.
Please tell us the date first. The sequence is whitening first, then waiting for the color to settle, so what is possible depends on how much time is left. Photos come out one step brighter than what the eye sees, so we set the color half a shade lower from the start. If there is not enough time, we tell you that first too.
Wedding
Getting married soon?
Congratulations, from all of us.
- Additional discount on Build-up · Platinum
- Whitening discount for your fiancé(e)
- Extra whitening before your photo shoot · wedding day
Please see the details of our wedding program below.