Veneers and Tooth Strength

[White Fang]

Hello, I am completely new to the world of cosmetic dentistry so can you please help me with the following question?
I have heard that for veneers the tooth needs to be scraped down a bit and then the veneer is applied on top. Won't that reduce the strength of the teeth? The lower halves of my incisors are already a bit translucent so I am quite worried about this.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

Indeed preparing a tooth for a porcelain veneer usually involves shaving down the tooth a little bit to create space for the veneer. This does weaken the tooth a little bit and can make the tooth more brittle. However traditional veneers involved a lot more tooth shaving than more modern ceramic veneers such as Emax veneers. These modern veneers involve a lot less tooth shaving so the tooth should still be quite strong even after veneer preparation.

[PearlyWhites]

Thank you for sharing. I have been interested in getting veneers and my mother told me that she often worries about the strength of her teeth. I am interested in veneers if I am certain my teeth are not going to become much weaker.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

The best thing to do is to see a cosmetic dentist for a consultation to see if porcelain veneers could work in your case. Some veneer cases do not need any tooth shaving, other cases need a little tooth shaving and some cases need a lot of tooth shaving. Its usually better to have orthodontics first if your teeth need a lot of tooth shaving for veneers in order to reduce the amount of tooth shaving needed and maintain the tooth strength.

[White Fang]

Thank you, Dr Esfahani, for your helpful comments. I am still debating about veneers, because in addition to worries about tooth strength, veneers also make the teeth look a bit too suspiciously uniform! My teeth are fairly even, so I'm also considering simpler whitening options, such as the one with the whitening trays.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thats right. Teeth whitening generally gives more natural results than dental veneers because it keeps the tooth shape exactly as it is but improves the tooth colour. From a tooth health point of view, tooth whitening is far better for the tooth than porcelain veneers.

[brace-face]

So, would a veneer maybe be recommended for a younger person whose teeth are more than likely stronger and healthier? I think that with age, my teeth have become a little more brittle.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Porcelain veneers are generally not recommended for young people such as teenagers because the gum line is not stable at that point in time and sometimes growth is still happening and things could change. Also the pulps of young teeth are very large and can be damaged by a veneer preparation.