Question:
Dr Sam, after many years I decided to have something done about my chipped front teeth. The solution offered was to place 4 porcelain veneers on my front teeth. This looked great – but after two weeks I woke up one morning and found the one veneer fell off. Then a few days alter I discovered a hairline crack in another veneer. I went back to my dentist who then told me that my teeth grinding is too severe and that he should rather place crowns over my teeth. Do you think this is the right solution?
Answer:
It would be a shame to have your four front teeth ground down for crowns just because your front teeth were chipped. The dentist should have known that you grind your teeth before he or she recommended porcelain veneers. If the dentist knew in advance, then the design of the porcelain veneers could be such that they do not break.
Additionally, there is a huge difference in the dental bonding skills between dentists. They all may have good intentions, but some dentists are better skilled than others and it makes a big difference in how long your porcelain veneers will last.