Is The User of Crowns or Veneers Worthwhile?
I am always struck by the number a photos of newly fitted crowns/veneers on websites.
Invariably they look fantastic, are used to show them how good a result is achievable, and so is an ad for the various forms of treatment.
As a dentist I am much more interested how these would look after many years use and would love to see those pictures included on websites.
Below is the photo of a patient who had returned to the practice after many years abroad.
The four veneers pictured were placed 18 years earlier. If you look carefully, the edges are beginning to chip and stain slightly, some of the margins are visible, but after such a long time, despite not being aesthetically perfect they represent a great success.
The gums around the veneers remain healthy and this is due to my preparation, the excellent work of the lab and most importantly the patients careful brushing and home care.
The patient was aware of the chipping and staining around the veneers and as is evident required some other minor restorative work.
In cases like this patients are always very aware of the defects looking closely at their teeth in a mirror. But I always ask people to assess the teeth looking at themselves in a mirror at a distance of 1-2 feet as this is a normal distance, or in a photo.
Assessing the teeth in this manner, the patient realised the defects were not evident, and they still looked natural in the smile. I talked through needing to grind off the old veneers if we were to replace them. How that would cause further healthy tooth surface loss, no matter how careful I was, increasing the chance of damage and complications to the underlying tooth.
Based on this information, the patient decided to proceed with fillings needed to secure oral health, but to accept the veneers, which continue to function without any problems and no further chipping (touch wood)