Feldspathic veneer brings full adult contour to a “peg lateral” incisor
This patient had been aware that one of his front teeth looked different from the others – it was small and hidden beside the adjacent tooth, and looked grey in comparison. As a rising star in international business, he was concerned that his habit of smiling small to hide this tooth was interfering with his confidence in making deals.
A Peg Lateral is an upper front tooth which is both under-sized and misshapen. Frequently the tooth appears more gray than the adjacent teeth simply because the enamel is not as thick as it would have been, had the tooth developed to its full adult contour.
Since the peg lateral is much smaller in all dimensions, the patient was given two options: 1) resin bonding, and 2) a porcelain feldspathic veneer. In either case, the restoration would be very conservative dentistry, as either material can be placed over the top of the tooth, with very little tooth preparation.
One of the benefits of feldspathic porcelain is the reflection of light across porcelain being identical to that of natural tooth enamel. The patient chose a feldspathic veneer.
The ceramist created a custom blend of porcelains, using a more opacious creamy mix to block out the grey undertones natural in the small tooth, and more luminous whites overlaying the core to match the tooth on the opposite side.
As the most conservative of all porcelain dentistry, this type of feldspathic veneer can be accomplished without local anesthetic – the result brings harmony and balance to the patient’s other teeth, and confidence in his smile.
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