Dental veneers are one of the technologies of modern aesthetic dentistry, designed to increase the attractiveness of the teeth and the smile as a whole. In English, the term “veneer” sounds like an external gloss, veneer, thin outer layer. And this allows us to understand what kind of solution we are talking about now. But patients are interested not only in the question of direct veneer installation, but also in their removal. What to do if the teeth under the veneers deteriorate, if there is a chipping? In what other pathologies will the veneers need to be removed? Can they be removed later without negatively affecting the teeth? What is the process of removing them? Will aesthetics be affected and how do teeth look after veneers are removed? Let’s try to find answers to these questions.
A little bit about veneers
Today, dentistry offers patients veneers made of different materials. The most common materials used in practice are zirconium and ceramic veneers. Between themselves they differ not only in cost, but also in aesthetics. Thus, ceramic onlays look more attractive, which is provided by a higher light transmission. There is a minimal sharpening of teeth under veneers. Visually, such onlays with good manufacturing can not be distinguished from natural teeth: natural shades are transferred as accurately as possible. Nowadays, work is being actively carried out to improve their strength parameters. In particular, the use of compressed massifs has been introduced.
Zirconium onlays are more durable. They allow you to accurately reproduce the shade of the natural tooth, but they do not have light reflection. They are used when the natural tooth is too decayed and needs to be restored. They are more difficult to fabricate and install and require deeper dental intervention.
It is impossible to answer unambiguously how long ceramic and zirconium veneers last, because it depends on many factors, starting from the initial quality of the onlays and the correctness of their installation and up to the features of wear. Here it is very important to follow the recommendations of the doctor, so as not to expose them to negative influences that can affect their aesthetics and functionality.
It is impossible to say unequivocally that veneers are forever, but not everything here is so simple. The fact is that in the process of their installation, the natural tooth is subjected to a fairly serious treatment, involving the removal of a layer of enamel. And if later it is necessary to remove the onlay for a number of reasons, the tooth will remain uncovered.
The problem here will not only be the lost aesthetics. A person will feel discomfort or pain when eating. Unprotected enamel will be exposed to various external influences, which will lead to the appearance of caries and its rapid development. In other words, it is impossible to leave the teeth without veneers: it will be necessary to provide them with some other protection.
Veneer removal: when it may be necessary
Patients consider removing dental onlays for a variety of reasons. The most common include:
- Wear and tear of composite materials. It is observed after a certain period of time and manifests itself in the deterioration of aesthetics. The color may change, which will make the covered tooth more noticeable against the background of others. In its majority, the service life of composite materials of the past generation is about 5 years. This means that after this period they can change their characteristics, requiring replacement.
- Damage. If the patient does not follow the doctor’s recommendations, then chips, cracks can appear even on a high-quality and properly installed onlay. So, if you have veneers installed, you can not eat breadcrumbs, nuts, seeds hard vegetables. If chipping occurs, a person will feel discomfort, pain due to the cut teeth under the veneers: the surface remains porous, rough, with increased sensitivity.
- Carious complications. If oral hygiene is not maintained, decay can spread even to teeth covered with onlays. If the situation turns out to be very complicated, if the tooth under the veneer hurts, it will need to be removed in order to make a comprehensive treatment.
- Improper installation. This can include incorrect selection: the size of the onlays can even slightly differ from the norm in a larger or smaller direction, but this will be an indication for their replacement. The patient will feel discomfort, there will be a negative impact on the natural teeth located nearby. This is one of the most common causes of complications after veneers are placed.
Peculiarities of veneer replacement
How your veneers will be replaced depends directly on the type of damage they have sustained:
- The veneer has come off. If this happens, but the veneer itself is not damaged, it can be reattached, but only in a clinic. If it turns out that the onlay has chips, scuffs and other structural flaws, then its aesthetics, as well as the attractiveness of the tooth after the veneer has already been lost. And here it is recommended to replace the onlay with a new one.
- The veneer has chipped off. The presence of a chipped veneer is an indication for total replacement. But if you had several teeth covered with veneers, there is a high probability that you will have to change the neighboring structures, because the appearance of the renewed veneer may differ from the old ones, which will violate the aesthetics. Whether it is necessary to change one veneer or all of them will be determined by the doctor during consultation and visual inspection.
- Replacement of worn plates. We have already mentioned above that teeth cannot remain without a protective coating after veneers have been removed. If your onlays have worn out, lost their aesthetics, then a more reasonable solution here is to install new ones. Such a solution will look attractive. In addition, the onlays will be made of more technological, modern materials, which will ensure a long period of service.
How to remove veneers: sequence of the procedure
Now you know the answer to the question of whether you can remove veneers – you can and should, if there are such indications as loss of aesthetics, chipping and other mechanical damage, excessive caries development. But these works should be performed exclusively in the conditions of dental clinics. It is not possible to perform removal on your own. Moreover, there is a high risk of damaging the tooth itself, which will entail a long and expensive restoration.
To remove veneers, modern dentistry uses 2 main techniques:
- Sawing. Only performed by doctors with sufficient skill. The work is performed with a diamond cutter. Both the onlay itself and the cement base on which it was placed are filed off. The main difficulty is not to remove the extra layer of tooth enamel along with the veneer.
- Laser removal. Here, the laser beam acts directly on the cement itself, on which the onlay was fixed, destroying it. It turns out that the veneer simply falls off by itself. The only exception to the use of this technique is the high thickness of the onlay. In this case, the laser beam will not be able to pass through it. Here, sawing and laser treatment are combined. First, the onlay is thinned with a diamond bur, and then it is treated with a laser.
How to remove the veneers is determined by the dentist after getting to know the clinical picture of the patient. The method that will be most effective and safe in a particular case is selected.
If you are faced with the need to replace dental onlays, we recommend seeking professional help at Prizma Medical Center in Kiev. Our doctors will analyze your situation and determine whether your teeth can be restored after veneers or recommend re-installation of onlays, choose a suitable solution and perform work at a high level. You can get consultations by phone or through online contact services.
