I Didn’t Know Veneers Broke!
Q: Dr.Crapo: About ten years ago, I learned about veneers. I liked the looks of them very much and as I had a lot of old white fillings in my upper front teeth, I decided to have veneers to make my teeth look more uniform in colour and shape. When they were done I was extremely pleased. After five years my dentist said that because I was hard on my teeth throughout my mouth, I needed some crowns. I knew for a fact that I was a clencher, so I went ahead. My dentist told me that the new bonding materials would give me the whiteness I wanted without any metal, so I said let’s go for it. It’s been three years and one of the bonded crowns has come off. There are breaks in my veneers and both my dentist and I are frustrated that things haven’t held up. I’m now forced with redoing a lot of my dental work. Is that what my future is going to look like? I’m so frustrated that my veneers are going to be made into crowns. Is this what others experience? How can I get longevity and cosmetics this time around?
A: I sympathize with your dilemma. When expensive dental work doesn’t hold up it is indeed frustrating. That said, you obviously fall into a small segment of the population who are extremely hard on their teeth. If this is known before any extensive work is done, different choices about how to make things strong as well as beautiful can be accomplished.
In most people veneers may last in excess of 20 to 25 years, but in folks with extreme clenching and grinding, they may have a few months to a few years of service. It is likely that crowns will have to replace your veneers. At present the strongest crowns have a precious metal support system. These can be made very aesthetically and give you years of service if your dentist balances your bite properly and you use bite management techniques that prevent night and stressful-times-of-the-day grinding and clenching.
Six years ago I saw a gentleman in your predicament. He was breaking up his dentistry similarly to what you’re describing. We worked diligently to repair his broken veneers. Despite our efforts, he continued to break pieces of porcelain off his veneers. We fixed his bite. We used crowns that won’t break down as his veneers did and we managed his unintentional forces so that he wasn’t stressing his new dentistry. Time had also allowed him to see what he was doing to his own mouth. Our working together gave him a great and lasting result.
If we can help, we’d like to. Call 778-410-2080 for a consultation or visit us today.
Based on actual patient cases
© Calvin Ross Crapo
Victoria Implant Centre 778-410-2080