The amount of time a porcelain veneer or dental crown (cap) lasts depends on many different factors, including at-home care, a patient's commitment to follow-up visits with the dentist, and the quality of the crown or veneer.

Finely crafted porcelain veneers can last almost indefinitely if maintained properly with good dental hygiene and regular dental visits.

This depends on several factors. In rare cases, they may become chipped or cracked if a patient bites into something hard. Most insurance companies will cover the replacement of a crown after 5 years. With proper brushing and flossing, and regular professional dental cleanings, they can last many years.

Porcelain veneers cover a thin layer on the front, part of the sides, and a small part of the biting surface of your front teeth. Porcelain crowns cover the entire tooth.

Dental bonding is a plastic tooth colored (composite) resin material that is molded onto your teeth and hardened with a blue light. It is usually done in one visit. Little tooth reduction and usually no anesthesia is required. they stain over time, may chip and may need to be replaced more often. Porcelain veneers are thin layers of stacked porcelain that are fabricated in the lab and bonded to teeth. It usually takes 2 visits. Little tooth reduction and some anesthesia are required.

Some dentists try and place veneers directly over a patients’ teeth without reducing the tooth structure. The veneer basically gets “stuck on” to the tooth surface, creating bulky looking teeth. This problem can be eliminated by proper diagnosis and planning, which will indicate exactly how much tooth surface needs to be prepared to create an outstanding final result.

Absolutely! Veneers are secured painlessly during two office visits and anesthesia may not be required.

Almost all of the veneers that we placed fifteen years ago still look great and are functioning the same as natural teeth (some better than natural teeth). Expect fifteen years to twenty years. The extra five years comes from the fact that the porcelains and bonding agents being used today are much stronger and look even more natural than those we were using fifteen years ago.

Yes. The dentist's main goal is to create a crown that looks like a natural tooth. That is why your dentist takes an impression. To achieve a certain look, a number of factors are considered, such as the color, bite, shape and length of your natural teeth. Any one of these factors alone can affect your appearance. If you have a certain cosmetic look in mind for your crown, discuss it with your dentist at your initial visit.

How long veneers or crowns last depends on many different factors such as care at home, how well you keep follow up visits to your dentist, as well as the quality of the crown or veneer.

Laminates look more realistic than bonding, and they do not stain. They also feel more natural, are more durable and are stronger than bonding composites. TOP

Orthodontic treatment takes 18 months to 2 years and often requires braces, while porcelain laminates correct crooked teeth in just two visits. TOP