How can I get porcelain veneers for my teeth without the need to shave off my teeth?

Doctor's Answers 1

There are very few situations where there is no need to remove some bulk from the tooth to fit veneers.

  1. You have large gaps in between your teeth.

  2. Your teeth are already thinned down from previous fillings or acid erosion (you must still have enamel covering the tooth surface for predictable long-term bonding).

If BOTH of these criteria exist, then it may be possible to have porcelain veneers without much trimming.

Trimming tooth structure for veneers achieves 2 functions:

  1. Creates an end-stop for the porcelain to end and to allow easier seating of the veneer. This ensures that the veneer is glued into the correct position during the bonding procedure. If the veneer is not positioned correctly, the tooth will not have the correct shape and there may be gaps between the veneer and the tooth.

  2. Allows optimal positioning of the front (labial) surface of the veneer.
    If the teeth are protruding or already lie in the optimal position BEFORE veneer treatment, then placing a veneer on top without thinning out the labial bulk of the tooth will make the tooth look very thick at the end. This not only looks ugly but also feels unnatural to the lips and may affect speech.

Optimizing the position of the teeth before veneers (using braces or Invisalign) can reduce the amount of tooth trimming that is needed since additional trimming is required to correct rotations or tipping of the teeth.

Similar Questions

How long will the dental veneers last?

In general American dentists tend to claim 10 years. We have very few patients that need replacing in that time. Looking at patients from 17-18 years ago most veneers are still looking good.

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Answered By

Dr Kevin Ong

Dentist

What do I need to consider when it comes to Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers change the colour, shape and position of your teeth. There are two types of veneers: direct—which are composite fillings—and indirect.

Photo of Dr Kevin Ong

Answered By

Dr Kevin Ong

Dentist

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