I Had a Porcelain Veneer That Came off Within a Year. 3-4 Years Later and the Same Veneer Came off Again. Is This Grinding?

You might be grinding extra hard on that 1 particular tooth, or there might not be adequate enamel on that tooth to securely bond to. If that is the case, the dentist should place a full porcelain crown instead of a Veneer. Also, make sure you are wearing a night guard over your teeth at night while sleeping.

There are several reasons why your veneer came off.  Night time bruxing (a tooth grinding habit) is one of the most frequent reasons.  Many dentists who suspect their patients are bruxers will recommend they wear a night guard while they're sleeping to protect the teeth from wearing and veneers from breaking or coming off.  You didn't mention which tooth, but the most common veneers to come of is on the upper lateral incisors (the smaller teeth adjacent to your larger front two teeth).  These teeth are smaller, so less surface area to bond and hold them into place.  Also, grinders oftentimes grind more on the edge of that tooth, so very careful bite adjustment is usually done after placing veneers to help against this problem.  The second most common veneers to come off are on the upper canines.

When the first veneer came off, did the dentist replace that for free or charge you full fee?  Many dentists will replace a crown or veneer at no charge if it came off during the first 12 months, because if it happens that soon after placement it could have been a bonding problem of the dentist, etching problem of the lab, or an occlusal (bite) problem that he didn't detect and adjust for. 

However a couple years out most dentists will replace a broken veneer at a reduced fee.  I can understand your dentist charging you full fee because the veneer has been in your mouth successfully for several years, and after this amount of time bruxing is the most common reason for debonding or veneer breakage.  I do not understand why he is charging you $1,000 more than the original fee of $1,500 unless this also included a night guard.

Good luck,

Dr. Norm Huefner

Something does not sound right.  You are going to pay your dentist 1000 dollars more than you paid the first time to have it redone?  I have placed over 20K porcelain restorations and we normally watch over our work from the first to five years.  If you would like a complementary consultation,I would be happy to check it for you.   Dr.  David Frey