As veneer treatments become more common, it is likely that you have heard a story about a friend who has porcelain veneers that have “Popped off”. This is technically called a “Debond”.
After placing thousands veneers, and never having personally experienced a debond in practice, it is apparent that a debond of a properly placed porcelain veneer is extremely unlikely. Not all dentists share the same success stories with porcelain veneer treatments. In fact, there are dentists who will tell their patents that porcelain veneers don’t work, or that porcelain veneers are not as strong as crowns. This misleading information is entirely untrue and most likely related to the comfort level of the dentist providing porcelain veneer treatments.
There are dentists who will tell their patents that porcelain veneers don’t work, or that porcelain veneers are not as strong as crowns.
The most common reason why porcelain veneers fall off the tooth is an over reduction or too aggressive preparation of the tooth for the veneer.
Porcelain veneers bond irreversibly to enamel, the only way to remove a properly enamel bonded porcelain veneer is to cut if off.
Unfortunately, dentists frequently cut away too much tooth structure when preparing teeth for veneers, because they do not understand the details of obtaining ideal restorative space. If too much enamel is removed, the veneer is bonded to dentin. The dentin does not have the same retention as enamel and is not able to withstand the same dislodging forces over time as enamel.
The remaining enamel, exposed dentin and even the porcelain all need to be treated properly to prevent potential debonds.
Each step is vital to retention and needs to be followed, despite anxieties by less experienced dentists and patients that sometimes make isolation or following protocols even more challenging.
The bite may be one of the most critical components to control in order to prevent serious porcelain veneer failures. The bite describes the way the teeth meet, or come together when eating, clinching or grinding.
A properly designed bite takes damaging forces away from the veneers and also protects the chewing muscles and Temporal Mandibular Joint.
A dentist with experience in successful veneer treatments has extensive education in designing healthy bites.
While it may be common to hear a story about a veneer falling off, it is extremely unlikely to happen if you are in the hands of an experienced and educated cosmetic dentist. Since there is no board certified specialty in Cosmetic Dentistry, the best precaution to make sure that you are a good candidate for porcelain veneers is to get a consult with a Smile Stylist. A Smile Stylist is experienced in veneer treatments and can discuss the various treatment options to improve your smile using the most conservative preparations, strict adherence to bonding protocols and properly designing the bite.
While it may be common to hear a story about a veneer falling off, it is extremely unlikely to happen if you are in the hands of an experienced and educated cosmetic dentist.
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-Dr. Jason Olitsky DMD AAACD