Fountain Valley patients drive 10 to 15 minutes west on Heil or Warner for porcelain veneers at Safari Dentistry and Implants in Huntington Beach. The veneers are designed on a digital scan and tried in your mouth as a temporary mock-up first, and the periodontist in the office checks the gum line before the ceramic is made.
How the veneer process works at Safari
Porcelain veneers take two main visits about two weeks apart, after a consultation where the smile is designed. Fountain Valley patients see the proposed result twice before anything permanent happens: once on screen, and once as a temporary mock-up placed over their own teeth.
- Consultation and scan. Photographs, an intraoral scan, a bite check and a gum exam by the periodontist. You get the plan and the fee per tooth in writing.
- Design and trial smile. The new shape is designed digitally, then placed over your teeth in temporary material so you can see and feel it.
- Preparation. A thin layer of enamel, usually 0.3 to 0.7 mm, is shaped under local anesthetic, a final scan is taken, and temporary veneers are fitted.
- Bonding. The ceramic veneers are tried in, checked for shade in daylight, and bonded. A night guard is made if you grind.
Why the gums are checked before veneers
A veneer ends at the gum line. If the gum is inflamed it bleeds during bonding and weakens the seal, and if it later recedes, the edge of the veneer shows. A periodontist treats inflammation and recession before the veneers are made and can even out a gum line that makes teeth look different lengths. Most cosmetic offices refer that out; here it is the same building.
Why Fountain Valley patients choose Safari for veneers
Many Fountain Valley patients come for a second look at a plan for eight or ten veneers from a larger group practice. The scan often shows that whitening plus four veneers, or a short aligner course first, gets the same smile with less enamel removed. The office tells you that plainly and prices both versions.
Veneer cost and payment plans
Fountain Valley patients leave the consultation with one written number: the fee per veneer, the number of teeth, and everything included, from the trial smile to the night guard if one is needed. Insurance does not pay for veneers. It often does pay toward a crown on a cracked tooth or toward gum treatment, and the front desk separates those lines so you can see what your plan covers. The balance can be spread over monthly payments.
What to bring to your first visit from Fountain Valley
- Photos of a smile you like, and one of your own smile from a few years ago.
- Any veneer quote or plan from another office, to compare tooth by tooth.
- A note of whether you grind or clench; it decides the ceramic and whether a night guard is part of the plan.
- Your insurance card; veneers are not covered, but a crown or gum treatment in the same plan often is.
Getting to the office from Fountain Valley
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 4 miles from Fountain Valley and usually 10 to 15 minutes by car. From Fountain Valley take Heil Ave or Warner Ave west across Newland, Beach Blvd and Gothard to Goldenwest St. The office sits at the corner of Goldenwest and Heil. From the Mile Square Park side, Brookhurst north to Heil and then west is the simplest route.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Same-day emergency time is held each open day.
- Parking: free, in the lot at the door, with a level entrance.
- Patients come from: the Mile Square Park neighborhoods, Green Valley, the Talbert Ave corridor near Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and the Brookhurst and Warner area.