Single porcelain veneer replacing stained bonding
This patient had a small misshapen Peg Lateral incisor (upper right) that was bonded with a resin veneer made from plastic filling material a decade prior. She had become aware of a dark stain at the edge of the restoration, as well as a dull matte finish compared to her natural tooth enamel. Even after careful professional dental cleanings with polishing, the stain remained on the resin veneer, and the patient was concerned that others may see it – her professional work as a dancer quite literally put her center stage in front of large audiences, so her appearance was very important to her.
The options we offered to the patient were to replace the bonding with a new resin veneer, or with a feldspathic porcelain veneer. After discussing the options, the patient selected a feldspathic porcelain veneer, for the benefit that the porcelain would have a longer lasting sheen to the finish.
Before: stained bonding resin on lateral incisor (zoomed)
After: porcelain veneer on lateral incisor (zoomed)
We replaced the bonding with a very conservative feldspathic porcelain veneer. The only change we needed to make to the tooth was to remove the existing resin filling material (and stain) and slightly roughen the tooth. The veneer was a no-prep veneer, which meant that all her original enamel was intact. This creates an incredibly strong bond for the porcelain veneer. See if you notice her smiling more broadly in the after-photo!
For more cases like this, see our FlickR page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/drcaughey/sets/