How durable are porcelain veneers?

I have a large gap between my teeth and have decided to get porcelain veneers. I need six veneers. After talking with my dentist, he said I could chip or break them if I bite into bacon that is too hard, or if I bite my nails(bad habit), and that I will need to wear a mouthguard at night so I don't grind them off. I really want to improve my smile and confidence, and orthadontics are not an option. Will the porcelain veneers hold up or will I regret this decision and be ultimately left with broken teeth that I won't be able to afford to fix? Would someone KNOWLEDGEABLE steer me in the right direction or give some advice?

How durable are porcelain veneers?
I've had mine for a few years now. Yes , they are somewhat fragile, but part of that depends on the shape of the veneers %26amp; the leftover shape of the remaining tooth underneath (the dentist has to file down your tooth to allow the veneers to attach). I still bite my nails on occasion %26amp; that hasn't caused any problems, but biting into a hard biscotti caused one veneer to be popped off a couple of times (each more than a year apart), so the dentist changed the underlying tooth shape to help it hold better %26amp; there's been no problems since. Out of 6 veneers, that was the only one that has ever given me any problems, so that's pretty good results as I view them. What that means is that if your eating a very hard food that you know may cause you problems, break or cut it into small pieces so you don't have to use the veneers to bite them %26amp; can chew with your back, non-veneered teeth. Good luck %26amp; enjoy your new smile!
Reply:well I have them to .. there can be fragile .. I have the divinci veneers good luck/ and be gentle with them
Reply:There is not a lot of price difference between the veneers and a real crown. You might ask if the real deal is an option.


Cutting up your food instead of biting into it is a good solution. Chips inthe veneers will occur if you eat hard candy


etc as your dentist said. I have seen them last 20 years. i have seen beautiful ones, and horrible jobs as far as tooth color and shape. Has he shown you pictures of finished cases or provided previous patients to call and ask them how they like it/ There is a hippa law which prevents them doing so unless the patient says okay so may not be possible. I was wondering why braces were not an option. They don't take much over ayear anymore and more adults do them children, the retainer would be all you need to do to keep them perfect( one night a week at the end- and no matter what any one says, do that until your old and gray.)


Are your teeth a shade you like?after you get venners, they will not discolor and your natural teeth will. The color difference could be a problem later in life . After 30 years and thousands of patients doing it all different ways, it boils down to one - your habits, two your finances, and three the time span you are wishing to do. some dentists can actually place the composite to fill the gap. Cheaper fast and won't chip . Again, only as good as the dentist who places it. Can be replaced if they discolor.
Reply:I place veneers in one visit. If there are more than 4 I will take more than one appointment. Once bonded in, the bond should last for a very long time provided a few guidelines are met: there is a dry field, use of a good bonding agent and porcelain conditioner, solid enamel left to bond too, and no interferences with your bite. The last guideline is the most important as most of my failures (veneers popping off) have been due to patients eating and sliding their jaw in a certain way that dislodges the veneer off at some acute angle.





It is important that you wear a nightguard, most people are not aware of weird movements in their mouths while sleeping. A nightguard can fix this.





Another thing you will have to be aware of is the type of porcelain used can be very abrasive to the opposing teeth so expect some wear on the opposing arch. My recommendation is find a dentist who can do CEREC or Empress Veneers, this is a feldspathic porcelain that closely resembles the wear patters of natural enamel. Thus, it will wear down the same as natural enamel and is nowhere near as abrasive as other porcelains. A well trained CEREC dentist can do this for you in one visit even. Good luck in your quest, veneers are usually a slam dunk procedure in fixing someone's smile in one or two visits. It all depends on those factors I listed above.