Are noprep, non-prep and prepless veneers the same as no-prep veneers?

Yes. Noprep, non-prep, no-prep and prepless all describe the same thing: veneers bonded over your natural teeth with little to no enamel removed.

Are no-prep veneers reversible?

Often, depending on the material and your bite. True no-prep veneers can frequently be removed with your natural teeth still underneath. Minimal-prep veneers are not fully reversible.

How much do no-prep veneers cost?

At George Carr DDS & Associates (Live to Smile) in Tempe, Arizona, composite bonding is $450 per tooth, composite/porcelain hybrids $650 to $900, porcelain e.max or LiSi $900 to $1,500, and feldspathic $1,200 to $1,700. Opening vertical dimension is $2,000 per tooth.

What is a dental mockup, wax-up, test drive or the moment?

They are mostly different names for previewing your new smile before it is permanent. A wax-up is the design built in wax on a model. A mockup or test drive transfers that design temporarily onto your actual teeth. The moment is another way of saying the try-in of that mockup, a snap-on version we can easily put in and take out.

SmileShape is a package at George Carr DDS & Associates in Tempe, Arizona that combines in-office bleaching, gum lift and enamel recontouring across the front 6 to 10 upper teeth, with no veneers bonded on. It runs $1,500 to $2,000 depending on the complexity of the case.

What are LiSi veneers?

LiSi is a pressed ceramic very similar to e.max, with the same strength and light behavior.

Do no-prep veneers cover the whole front of the tooth, like traditional veneers?

Sometimes yes, sometimes not quite, depending on the shape of your tooth. On some teeth a small area near the gumline between the teeth stays uncovered. Most people never notice it, and it is typically a small trade for keeping your own enamel. Traditional veneers typically cover the entire front of the tooth, but only because the tooth was significantly modified all the way around the front first.

Do I floss the same way with veneers?

Same or close to it. A veneer adds surface area to keep clean, so good habits matter a little more. A sonic toothbrush such as a Sonicare, regular flossing and a water flosser could help your teeth and your veneers last a very long time.

How long do no-prep veneers last?

Porcelain options commonly last a decade or longer with good care. Composite bonding has a shorter lifespan but is easier and less expensive to repair or replace.

Your Jaw Might Be Grinding Because You Can't Breathe

georgecarrdds

Sep 2

3 min read

Most conversations about grinding go straight to the appliance.

Wear this. Protect that. See you in six months.

And appliances matter — I wrote a whole post about picking one. But an appliance manages the damage. It does not usually address the cause.

So let's ask the question nobody asks:

Why is your jaw doing this at 3 a.m. in the first place?

The connection I wish more people knew about

Nighttime grinding has been associated with sleep-disordered breathing, including obstructive sleep apnea.

Here is the proposed mechanism, in plain English.

When your airway becomes partially or fully blocked during sleep, your body notices. It does not politely wait for morning. It responds — arousal, muscle activity, jaw movement — and grinding can be part of that response.

Put less clinically: your jaw may be participating in your body's attempt to keep your airway open.

That is a very different story than "you're stressed, wear a guard."

The honest version

The association is well documented. Whether one directly causes the other is still debated, and not every grinder has a breathing problem — plenty of people grind for reasons that have nothing to do with their airway.

But the overlap is common enough that it belongs on the table, and it almost never comes up.

Signs worth paying attention to

Loud snoring
Waking up gasping, choking, or with a bone-dry mouth
Waking up unrefreshed no matter how long you slept
Daytime sleepiness — the kind where you could nap in a parking lot
Morning headaches
A partner who has mentioned that you stop breathing

If several of those sound familiar, an appliance may be protecting your teeth while something considerably more important goes unaddressed.

That is worth a conversation with your physician and possibly a sleep evaluation.

Why this changes the appliance conversation

Here is the part that ties back to protection.

In some patients, certain oral appliances may affect the airway. Which appliance is appropriate can depend on what your breathing is doing overnight.

This is one more reason the right appliance is an individual decision made with a clinician who knows your history — not a default, not a guess, and not something to order online because it was on sale.

Sometimes the answer is a guard. Sometimes the answer is a sleep study first, and the guard second.

The part where I stay in my lane

I am a dentist. I am not diagnosing sleep apnea from a blog post, and neither should anything else you read online.

What dentists can often do is notice patterns — wear on teeth, jaw muscle changes, things you mention at a checkup — and say the useful sentence: "This might be worth having your physician look at."

Sleep apnea is associated with real health consequences well beyond your teeth. If reading this made you think about somebody — including yourself — that is the whole point.

Common Questions

Can teeth grinding be a sign of sleep apnea?

Nighttime grinding has been associated with sleep-disordered breathing, including obstructive sleep apnea. Not every grinder has a breathing problem, but if you snore loudly, wake unrefreshed, or have morning headaches, it is worth discussing with your physician.

Will a night guard fix sleep apnea?

No. A protective appliance is designed to protect teeth from wear and force. It is not a treatment for sleep-disordered breathing, and in some patients certain appliances may affect the airway. That is a conversation to have with your dentist and physician together.

Can my dentist diagnose sleep apnea?

Diagnosis generally comes from a sleep evaluation ordered through a physician. A dentist may notice signs worth investigating and recommend you follow up.

More in this series

In Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, or the Phoenix area? If you grind and you also snore or wake up exhausted, bring it up at your next visit — it is a more useful conversation than most people expect. George Carr DDS & Associates PLLC — 2072 E Southern Ave, Suite A103, Tempe, AZ 85282 · LiveToSmile.com

George Carr, DDS · Licensed in Arizona

This article is for general educational purposes only and is written for adults 18 and over. It consists of generalizations, and although it may appear to fit your situation, your situation could be different. Sleep-disordered breathing is diagnosed by a physician through appropriate evaluation, and nothing here can examine you or rule out any condition. This is not a substitute for professional medical or dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you think you may have a dental emergency, call your dentist or dial 911.