Why have an in house ceramist?

Let me fill you in on a secret. Behind every great cosmetic dentist is an equally skilled ceramist, particularly when it comes to porcelain veneers. Veneers combine two essential elements: the scientific knowledge of the dentist and the artistic craftsmanship of the ceramist. The dentist focuses on treatment planning, precision, and overall oral health, while the ceramist brings the smile to life through shape, shade, and detail.

I am a strong believer in veneers that are inspired by nature and carefully designed to mimic the characteristics of natural teeth. In the past, achieving consistent results was a challenge. I would prepare the teeth, take moulds, and send them to an external lab with photos and notes.

The difficulty was that at these labs, I was often just another dentist in the queue. Different technicians, each with their own style and skill set, were assigned to the case. Much like painters, no two ceramists are the same, and the work that came back often looked different from my vision. This meant repeated adjustments to colour, shape, or length, which delayed the final result for clients.

Today, our approach is very different. At The Dental Room, we have our own in-house ceramic dental lab, led by master ceramist Ms Chloe Park. Unlike most practices, Chloe works exclusively with our team and is involved from the very beginning, often joining initial consultations. This allows her to understand the treatment goals clearly and align with my vision. The result is a seamless, collaborative process that delivers predictable, high-quality outcomes for our clients. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Unrivalled artistry

With the rise of digital dentistry, many veneers today are milled by machines with limited human involvement. This push toward mass production often comes at the expense of artistry. At The Dental Room, we have chosen to remain traditional.

Our master ceramist, Ms Chloe Park, is an artisan who creates each veneer by hand. She carefully custom-blends porcelain based on both the client’s preferences and my direction as the treating dentist, ensuring every veneer is as natural-looking as possible.

What sets Chloe’s work apart is her ability to produce veneers that are almost indistinguishable from real teeth. Creating a natural smile requires far more than making teeth look bright or uniform. It involves attention to subtle details like shade variation, contour, and translucency to achieve harmony with a client’s overall appearance. This level of craftsmanship is the opposite of veneers that appear overly white, too large, or unnaturally symmetrical.

Speeding it up

Having an in house ceramist speeds up the process of getting porcelain veneers. For example, we have recently completed a complete smile design for a client in three days from start to finish. The process is vertically integrated because my ceramist sits under the same roof. She can do the colour matching during the same appointment that I’m doing the treatment plan. She’s consulting with the client from the start to the finish. There’s no extra visits or trips to an external ceramist.

We often have clients from interstate who stay in Melbourne for a week while we have their veneers done for them. Time is critical when you’re working with these clients, as they have a flight to catch. So, if minor modifications need to be made that vary from the initial moulds, it can be done straight away.

An in-house ceramist from the get-go

Chloe is involved from the start. She sits in during the cosmetic consultation with the client, where we understand the client’s concerns and objectives together. She looks at each case from an artistic point of view where I look at it from a technical point of view. So, the client gets the best of both worlds from the very beginning.

Chloe and I are both heavily involved in the treatment planning process for each case. We bounce ideas between us regarding shape and colour and where we need to set the final position of the veneers. That’s never usually done when a dentist works with an external ceramic lab.

Chloe is also involved in veneer preparation process. Once the preparation work is completed, she makes sure that we’ve worked on the teeth adequately, so we get both the clinical and the artistic end result we want. We hand-make the porcelain veneers here at The Dental Room without using a milling machine.

When we insert the veneers, we are able to show the clients what the veneers look like. And if adjustments are needed, we can customise almost anything on the day of the appointment from the edges of the teeth to the amount of translucency, to the texture, to the colour. It can all be done straight away.

A good ceramist is hard to find

A great ceramist enables the team to exact a tremendous amount of oversight in the customisation process. That significantly reduces turnaround times and allows unprecedented access between ceramists and clients. It provides an unsurpassed level of quality, customisation and convenience.

I have been working closely with Chloe for more than five years and we communicate on a different level. I have a great understanding of her approach and ability, and she knows how I can add value to each case. Good ceramists are hard to find these days and we are blessed to have Chloe as part of The Dental Room team.

Results, potential risks, complications, and recovery times can differ for each individual and each procedure. Any dental procedure carries risks and benefits. Refer to thedentalroom.com.au/risks for more information on risks and potential complications.

Before starting any treatment, we recommend seeking independent advice from an AHPRA-registered health practitioner and considering a second opinion. This content is intended for adults, is general in nature, and should not be regarded as medical advice. Individual results cannot be guaranteed.

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