Bonding is often a cheaper, simpler and faster solution for the patient. Porcelain veneers are more expensive, but more durable. Veneers I placed 20 years ago are still functioning in the patient’s mouth. As long as the patient has a well-supported occlusion in the lateral region and no occlusal overload and takes good care of the gingivae, and there is no recession around the veneers, then veneers made several years ago will still be good.
As I already mentioned, both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of porcelain veneers, besides their high price, is the dental clinician’s dependence on the dental technician for their production. The technician needs to have the requisite experience in order to perform veneers in the right way, as they should be as thin as possible and aesthetic, having perfectly matched colour and shape and a preserved emergence profile. This requires experience, knowledge and time.
When performing porcelain veneers, the dentist should meet with the patient at least twice. At the first visit, he or she must prepare the tooth, at the second visit, place the finished work, and at the next visit, check function and aesthetics. Sometimes, the work requires fittings and corrections, which entails more visits and has consequent additional costs for both the dentist and the patient. These are the disadvantages of porcelain veneers, but their obvious advantages, in addition to durability, are compatibility, excellent gingival integration, and ability to mask discolorations and cover many teeth. All this is possible when working with a facebow and a good laboratory.
In the case of composite veneers, the more teeth we want to cover, the more difficult it is to do. If bonding is performed on one or two teeth, the work is relatively simple. If it is eight or more, it requires a lot of skill on the part of the dentist, and that involves not only educational courses but above all practice, practice and more practice. To work well with composites, one needs to have a well-practised hand and to learn about the properties of the composite and how to work with it.
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