Can porcelain veneers be put on crowns?

Hello Lindie,Veneering your crowns is not a good idea.  It is much better to have the crowns removed and redone.  Veneering crowns is possible, but is not attractive or recommended.  Your teeth would feel very bulky and would appear this way to close friends and family.  Replacing the actual crown would be a much smarter, more durable and more cost effective solution.  Good luck and I hope this helps. I'm an expert on veneers, so follow me if you have more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMDSoft Touch Dentistry

Technically we can bond porcelain - to- porcelain pretty strongly.  Many people ask me if I could just veneer an existing crown.  A lot of times the crown in question has metal underneath it.  So even the BEST looking veneer in the world soon becomes ugly when it's attached to a metal substrate.  It destroys the translucency and the way that light interacts with the veneer.  In my practice, veneering an existing crown is the exact same price as getting a new crown (all porcelain).  

That is  a very good question!  The answer is yes..but it depends.  Porcelain laminate veneers can be bonded to tooth structure, porcelain and even metal under certain conditions. Ideally it is done to either repair fractured porcelain on an otherwise intergrally sound crown. It may ,on occasion , be used to alter the shade of a crown.  However, special treatment protocols are required, metal has to be covered over prior and careful preparation of the existing crown must be done prior to impression.  If there is exposed margins, recession of the gum-line or decay...it is often better to make a new crown. Consulting with an experienced cosmetic dentist should allow for the proper treatment