When getting porcelain veneers, are teeth filed down to pegs?

Question

When getting porcelain veneers, are teeth usually filed down to pegs? I had thought that for veneers, only a portion of the front of the tooth was removed, so that the teeth weren't too thick after applying the veneers. I thought that filing down to pegs was for crowns. I had my teeth prepped for several upper veneers and they made pegs first, and I'm now wearing a temporary one piece thing, like a fixed bridge over 7 teeth. I'm confused.

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

Hello there,Based on your question, it's unclear whether you're getting veneers or crowns.  They both require prep work.  The amount of prep work directly depends upon the severity of your cosmetic issues before the crowns or veneers prepped.  From the sound of things, you may have been prepped for crowns, but to get the best answer, I would encourage you to contact the dentist that did them.  Good luck and I hope this helps. Follow me if you have more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMDReal Self 100

Natwarlal Tibrewal, BDS · Answer

Hi, filing teeth down to pegs is a myth. In most cases, you would have a preop wax up model to show you how teeth are nearly going to look like after finish and so also to suggest how much prep is needed on each tooth. If rest all teeth are in line, one or two teeth quite far off may need more prep than others. Also the temporary veneers are placed to give you an idea of shape, size and colour of final veneers but most times they are all joined together and so feel like a fixed bridge. I hope that clears your confusion.

Desiree Yazdan, DDS · Answer

Porcelain veneers are one of the most conservative restorations in dentistry.  You just roughen up the front surface of the tooth, and if done correctly, this shouldn't be more than 0.5mm.  There are cases that a tooth may need more of a prep depending on positioning of the tooth, or if the tooth is fractured, but in general 0.5mm is enough for a porcelain veneer.  If your dentist is not skilled, he/she may remove more tooth structure than needed, which is why you need to do your research prior to choosing a practitioner.

Leonard Tau, DMD · Answer

How much filing or preparation depends on a variety of different factors.  Tooth color, shape, bite, etc.  Average reduction is around .5-1mm which is much less than for a crown which is 1.5-2mm.  There is certainly a difference but the temporaries are usually together for strength.  Good luck

Joseph F. DelPrete, DMD · Answer

The preperation for porcelain veneers depends on many factors.  The positioning of the teeth and how much correction is needed.  If the existing teeth had any old restorations in them.  Without photos or radiographs of preprepped teeth it is hard to say how much preperation was needed.With that said, straight forward porcelain veneers are usually require 0.75-1 mm of reduction from the front ofthe tooth and 1.5mm from the incisal edge of the tooth.Splinting the temporaries is customary and will hold them on better for you.  At this point I would wait for the next appointment and see the end result.  A good laboratory will make the teeth look great.

When getting porcelain veneers, are teeth filed down to pegs?

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When getting porcelain veneers, are teeth filed down to pegs?

Answers (6)

Answer: How much tooth reduction is needed for Porcelain Veneer restorations?

Answer: How much tooth reduction is needed for Porcelain Veneer restorations?

Answer: Porcelain veneers

Answer: Porcelain veneers

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Everything you need to know about Porcelain Veneers

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.