Veneer Redo: A Case That Resolved Fracture, Esthetics, and Inflammation Together
The average lifespan of veneers or other front-tooth esthetic treatments is generally considered to be around 5 years, but in practice it's more like 7-10 years. Used a bit more carefully, they often last well over 10 years. Patients who were treated from the late 2000s through the early 2010s are now the ones frequently coming in for retreatment.
Back then, the materials commonly used were quite different from today's, and the concept of veneer treatment itself was also very different from now. Many patients believe they received veneer treatment, but a good number of them actually turn out to have crowns.
One of the most common reasons old front-tooth treatment needs to be redone is debonding and fracture.
This is a case where the patient had been receiving repeated patch-up treatment for a fracture, and decided to have it redone properly.
Even for teeth that hadn't fractured, the esthetics didn't look good, and there was also another problem — inflammation throughout the gums.
This was a situation where fracture, esthetics, and inflammation all had to be resolved at once.
Using temporary teeth over an extended period, the gum inflammation had to clear up before the veneer redo could proceed.
The shape of the teeth was changed to match the shape of the patient's face.
A great deal of care went into harmonizing the color and translucency of the teeth.
Many people want white, translucent teeth, but in fact the two are opposites — being white means being opaque.
I think a bright, translucent tone would be a more accurate way to describe what's actually wanted.
In this case, the tooth had already undergone root canal treatment and was already severely discolored, so a variety of approaches were tried to cover the discoloration while still keeping translucency.
A one-day veneer redo can only produce an opaque look — nothing more.
When the gum harmonizes well with the ceramic, the inflammation clears up as well.
The patient said that the bleeding that used to happen while brushing has also gone away.
From every angle, the veneer redo was finished in a way that brings out a natural feel along with a bright, translucent look.
This article is a clinical note written by Dr. Park Jonguk of Dream Dental Clinic, Gangnam; the original was published on his blog. The photographs shown are real cases he treated. Results vary with each patient’s condition, and every procedure carries the possibility of individual variation and side effects.
