Will I Need a Crown to Replace a Porcelain Veneer?

Posted by AllSmiles

Can a dentist fix a cavity on a porcelain veneer tooth without me needing a new veneer or a crown? My dentist wants to remove the cavity but says I might need a crown instead. Why? I would have three veneers and one crown on my front teeth. How would that look? I am worried that a crown would be noticeable beside three veneers. Thank you. Isaac from Oak Park, IL

Isaac,

Thank you for your question.

Dr. Goebel would need to x-ray your tooth and examine it and your veneer for an accurate diagnosis. Still, we will provide general information.

Matching crowns and veneers

If you need a crown, it will be challenging for a dentist to match it with your other veneers. A dentist must have advanced cosmetic dentistry training to achieve a match.

Do You Need a Veneer Replaced with a Crown?

Whether your dentist must replace your veneer with a crown depends on the tooth’s condition and the cavity size.

Removing the cavity might require losing much tooth structure. When little tooth structure remains, it may be challenging to bond a veneer to it. Even with a crown, a dentist may need to build up the tooth before it can support a crown.

If you want to keep your porcelain veneer, please understand that although family dentists are skilled at keeping your teeth healthy, they have limited cosmetic dentistry skills without advanced training. The results depend on the dentist’s training and experience. It is unreasonable to expect your family to achieve beautiful results.

We recommend scheduling a second opinion with a dentist with advanced cosmetic dentistry training to examine your tooth and veneer to explain your options.

Moline, Illinois, cosmetic dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel sponsors this post.