Should I get veneers?

Question

My front teeth are straight. They look fine with the exception that they are not pearly white. I have bleached, but due to medicine as a child, I have a constant slight gray tint. My dentist said I have vertical cracks in my front teeth, but they haven't caused a problem and I'm 51. I understand that the process is to grind your own teeth down to a nub before applying the veneers. Is this true? I also understand that they can fall off easily. Is this true? Does anyone regret getting veneers?

Answer 1

Teeth that have intrinsic staining (due to the medicine as a child) can normally get whiter via bleaching, but it will take much longer.  For example, you may need to bleach every night for 6 months or more to get them whiter, whereas someone else may only take a couple of weeks.  I don't know how long you tried bleaching, but maybe if your teeth aren't too sensitive, you can try it for longer and see if you get any better results.

As for veneers, only the fronts of your teeth will be reduced, and the front will be veneered (so the porcelain veneer will be cemented to the front).  Some dentists do reduce the sides and a little off the back however, but it is less than when a full crown is done.

Veneers normally last many years (as long as your occlusion is not traumatic to the veneered teeth, etc), but often will need to redone eventually.

The other concern is, how many teeth are you going to veneer?  If you just do the front 2, they won't match the adjacent teeth.  So say you decide to do the top 6 (canine to canine); now your bottom teeth are not going to match your nice new veneered top teeth.  I think you get the picture.

Like the other person said, the vertical cracks in your teeth are not normally considered a problem that needs to be addressed.

Answer 2

If the greyness is slight, I wouldn't get veneers. I have cracks in a lot of my teeth, and they're not visible to anyone but me, so I'll bet noone notices yours either.

They do grind down your teeth, but not to a nub (unless they're bad at it). I don't think it's worth risking damage to healthy teeth because of slight problems. Plus veneers don't last forever (max 10 years).

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneer_%28d...

I just read the description in wiki and it sounds almost like a crown.  It didn't sound like they grind it that far.  More like they apply a mould over the tooth or teeth.  Check it out.

Answer 4

hi ive worked as a dental assistant for 3 years , a small part of the tooth may be removed if needed to make room for the veneer to go over but not much , veneers are only for cosmetic reasons and thats right they are not strong ! but are easily fixed if broken off they are like a plastic material that is sorted moulded over the front part of the tooth where if you got a crown it would fit over the whole tooth but much more expensive ,  you wouldnt do any harm in trying veneers put it that way

Answer 5

Each person's priorities are different.  Some want white teeth, some don't; it's up to each individual to decide.

Some veneers require extensive tooth reduction to hide the stain or to allow the veneers to look natural (ie. not like Chicklets).  Some veneers can be done with minimal or no tooth reduction (Lumineers brand is an example, but not the only one).  A meticulously done veneer does not fall off easily.

Vertical cracks in front teeth (that are not heavily restored) are not necessarily weak teeth.  Discuss the treatment options with your dentist.