Last August, I had an accident that chipped my center front teeth and the tooth next to my left center tooth (facing me). My dentist filled in the chips with dental bonding. But the chips are medium-sized and noticeable. My dentist tried the bonding twice, but it doesn’t look smooth or match my teeth. Three weeks ago, I had a dental cleaning and talked to my dentist about my concerns. He said that porcelain veneers would look better and that he could do them for my four front teeth to ensure everything matches. We went from bonding to $2,500 per veneer. Is this the only way to hide the chips and ensure my teeth match? – Thanks. Katherine from Dover, DE
Katherine,
Thank you for contacting 5 Star Dental Group. Dr. Tostado or Dr. Acuña would need to examine and x-ray your teeth before recommending treatment, but we will explain your options.
Dental Bonding or Porcelain Veneers for Chipped Teeth?
If you have chipped teeth, either dental bonding or porcelain veneers can restore them. You will get the best results from either technique by choosing a dentist with advanced cosmetic dentistry training.
Dental bonding
Although dental bonding costs much less than porcelain veneers, a skilled cosmetic dentist can produce beautiful results. Cosmetic bonding, especially with larger chips, requires artistic ability from a dentist. Cosmetic dentists have an inventory of composites to ensure they match your tooth color and blend seamlessly with your teeth.
Dental bonding
The dental bonding technique includes the following:
- Selecting composite shades to match your natural teeth
- Lightly etch your teeth and apply a bonding agent
- Layering dental bonding
- Sculpting the bonding to match the characteristics of your natural teeth
- Shaping, hardening, and polishing the composite
Quality dental bonding can last five years or longer if you take good care of it.
Porcelain veneers
The porcelain veneers process also requires advanced cosmetic dentistry training to make the veneers look natural and blend with our teeth.
The porcelain veneers process includes the following:
- Removing tiny amounts of tooth enamel from the fronts of your teeth to ensure the porcelain veneers fit well
- Taking impressions of your teeth for temporary veneers
- Allowing you to wear the temporary veneers to ensure you are satisfied
- Partnering with a dental lab to craft custom veneers for you
- Bonding the veneers to your teeth.
High-quality porcelain veneers can last 15 years or longer if you take care of them and get routine maintenance from a cosmetic dentist.
We recommend scheduling a consultation with a prosthodontist, a dentist with two to three years of advanced cosmetic dentistry training. You may choose to schedule consultations with more than one dentist.
- Ask to see their patients’ dental bonding cases for chipped teeth.
- Search online for patient reviews of the dentist’s work.
- Ask the dentist how many cases like yours they have completed.
- San Antonio dentists
Gilberto Tostado and Dr. Karina Acuña sponsor this post.