How Long Should Porcelain Veneers Last?
It is important to be able to comfortably discuss all of your concerns with your dentist, and with the dental team. It is your mouth and your teeth we are talking about here! How long should a porcelain veneer last? This is a very good question and one that should be discussed with your dentist before you have the procedure completed. A properly prepared, placed, and maintained porcelain veneer should last a long time!
Note the improved length and shape we were able to achieve with conservative porcelain veneers!
Our patient was unhappy with her smile. Porcelain veneers were a conservative and beautiful option for her!
A porcelain veneer should last as long as a dental crown – possibly even longer. Most dental insurance companies consider the lifespan of a dental crown or bridge to be 5 – 7 years. This seems crazy. If a crown is placed at age 35, just imagine how many times it will need to be replaced if the minimal amount of time is as long as that crown lasts. Kind of makes you wonder if you as the patient have some responsibilities in helping assure that your restorations last as long as possible, right?
I love when a patient asks me the question, “How long will this last?” That means that they are concerned and hopefully willing to contribute the needed care to help their dental restorations last as long as possible. Dental insurance usually will not cover any portion of the cost of a porcelain veneer unless the veneer is structurally necessary and it can be explained to the dental insurance company why a porcelain veneer is the very best restoration here say, compared to a dental crown.
In our office, we would like porcelain veneers to last much longer than this! A porcelain veneer is bonded to your tooth to improve the shape or color of that tooth. Because porcelain veneer preparations are more conservative than crown tooth preparations, there is a lot of your own tooth remaining to support the porcelain veneer. If the porcelain veneer is bonded to your tooth enamel, the bond is very strong and the life expectancy increases!
We tell patients that how long their porcelain veneer will depends on three things: us, them and genetics. We have control of two of these things and no control over the third. Here are the three things that determine how long your porcelain veneer will last:
- Your dentist! Selecting a qualified dentist, dental office, and dental laboratory is very important in helping assure that your porcelain veneers last as long as possible. Check out photos of the dentist’s work (make sure the photos are of your dentist’s work and not ‘stock’ photos!), look online at the office’s reviews, talk to others who have had similar treatment completed in that office. The selection of quality materials, the use of proper techniques that help insure the health of your tooth, your comfort, and how long your restoration will last are all parts of my job as your dentist. This includes how well the dental crown or bridge was made and the entire dental process. This is my job as your dentist, as well as the job of my lab technician and our selection of quality materials and excellent techniques.
- You! All restorations including porcelain veneers will last longer if you take care of them as well as possible. Are you brushing and flossing as much as recommended? How is your diet? Do you clench and grind your teeth? Do you have any destructive habits that shorten the life of dental restorations? A porcelain veneer can chip just like your natural tooth if you bite into something hard or is you have habits like chewing your nails or biting on pen caps, sunflower seeds, or using your teeth as tools. Clenching and grinding are very destructive to natural teeth as well as to porcelain veneers.
- Genetics! Fortunately we are not all created equal and some people must use extra caution with their teeth and home care. We can’t control our genetics but we can all do our best to work with what we’ve got to achieve the best possible result! Some teeth are gums are just stronger than others and any kind of restoration – not just porcelain veneers – lasts longer on some teeth than on others. Some people are more prone to tooth decay, gum disease and periodontal disease.
Ice chewing can be a very destructive habit for all restorations including porcelain veneers and for your teeth!
Our office and Dr. Julie Gillis loves porcelain veneer restorations! And, we work with an exceptional dental lab and laboratory technician to create restorations that will look good, feel good, and last a long time. We would be happy to schedule you for a complimentary consult in our office with one of our talented treatment assistants to answer any questions you have about porcelain veneer restorations. Or you can schedule a consult or a comprehensive examination with Dr. Gillis and her team in our Grand Junction, Colorado dental office to determine if porcelain veneer restorations are right for you!
Our office offers comprehensive dental care including cleanings, tooth-colored fillings, All-porcelain crowns and veneers, Sleep Apnea appliances, periodontal care, crowns, bridges, implant restorations, dentures and partial dentures. You can call our office at (970) 242-3635 for more information. Please visit our website at www.juliegillisdds.com for more information. Find Dr. Julie Gillis DDS on Facebook! We would love to have you like and follow our dental office.