Question:
I was wondering what comments, if any, anyone has out there
regarding porcelain veneers or similar types of cosmetic dentistry.
The reason I am inquiring is that I have been troubled by problems
with my veneers ever since they were done almost two years ago.
At the advice of my dentist regarding what I could do to improve
the looks of my teeth, I agreed to have him put the veneers over
five of my front upper teeth. Since that time I have had all but
one come out at various times, and two that have fallen out twice.
During my six very frustrating trips back to my dentist to have
them reattached, I have only been told that I shouldn't be chewing
on hard food and that maybe I had the type of teeth that cement
doesn't adhere well to. The fact is though, I have lost each one
doing nothing out of the ordinary - brushing my teeth, eating a
piece of bread, etc. It has gotten to the point now where I'm down
right afraid to bite anything since I know it's only a matter of
time until the next tooth falls out.
I would be interested to know if others out there have had experiences
with this or if it sounds like my case is unique. I would
also be interested in hearing what my options would be (from some
of the dentists out there who might be familiar with cosmetic
dentistry). Since the dentist had to "prep" my teeth by grinding
them down prior to the veneer fitting, there's no going back to the
way they used to be. I would guess that porcelain crowns would
be my only option at this point and I'd be willing to do this if
I would have more certainty that they would stay in place
semi-permanently.
Answer:
Fortunately, I have not encountered this problem with the hundreds of
veneers I have placed. Sounds like a bonding problem. I have had 2
veneers come off and I am sure the problem was a defective lab porcelain
treatment. It is possible that the teeth do not etch and hold the bonding
material well. Older Silane coupling agents could cause a bond failure
also .
It sounds to me like the original bonding of the laminates to your teeth was
compromised in some manner (teeth got wet, no silane bond enhancer etc). I
have never had whole cases debond. Sometimes individual teeth because I did
not check the occlussion properly, or some other bonding related deficiency.
After the laminates debonded did the dentist re etch or sand blast the
laminates ( you may not know)? If he/she did not the bond will fail again.
This may help explain why the laminates debonded but won't help them stay on.
Ask your dentist to re-evaluate your case and see if he can correct the
problems. This is not a normal occurrance.
I've had 2 porcelain crowns(one, an upper inscissor, the other a lower
molar) for over 15 yrs. with no trouble at all and I eat anything I
want w/no prob. I hear the real test for crowns is to have one of your
big, rear molors done where all the high pressure chewing is done.
My understanding is the larger the diameter of the "post" for the crown,
the better the anchoring. Of course the skill of the dentist is
paramount.
