Top 6 Reasons to Re-do Your old Veneers:

Q: I need to re-do my 25-year-old veneers. Are there any risks in damaging my teeth?

A: Firstly, let’s address why is there a need to re-do porcelain veneers?

• A desire to go with a lighter shade (that would be me! My 24-year-old veneers are a B1 shade, which almost nobody picks these days; it’s just not white enough for most patients in today’s culture.) Most pick from the four lightest shades: 010, 020, 030 and 040. In my 35 year career in performing thousands of veneers, I find that 95% of patients go with 020, the second lightest shade. Some men like to be more conservative and will go with the 030 or 040 shades which are a bit darker with some gray tones.
• Fracture or complete loss of some of the existing veneers. (What do we own that is still being used 25 years later? Seriously. Maybe a house? Not even a car.)
• Gum recession due to the aging process (“looking long in the tooth.”) This will expose the dark roots of your teeth as the gum no-longer is close to the end of the veneers. If you have had gum surgery , this can also result in recession.
• Decay that has formed under some veneers.
• Shape Change Request: Patients may feel there old veneers never quite achieved the shape they desired.
• Older Un-Natural looking veneers: Some of the older porcelain materials were monochromatic and opaque looking; un-natural and Chicklet-like. Today’s materials are very natural looking even in the lightest shades due to incorporating irregularities called flutes and lobes which break up the light, for an awesome natural look.

Do not worry about damaging the tooth underneath when removing the old veneers. We have gentle methods of carefully removing the veneers and will not reduce more tooth structure underneath, unless decay is found. FYI: you should not have decay form under the veneers if you see the hygienist every 4 months and you floss and brush every day. And, most importantly, they were done right!

Check out the veneer gallery on our website for some beautiful cases.