I don’t understand why the dentist won’t let me get a porcelain veneer for my son. He fell and chipped his tooth. I don’t want to get a cheap solution because it’s his permanent tooth. My preference was to get a porcelain veneer because it would affect his tooth structureless. But, my doctor says that’s not a viable solution. Is that true? I really don’t want to get a crown on his tooth if I don’t have to because of how much healthy tooth he’ll lose. Do you know what the issue is?
Marion
Dear Marion,
Before we get into a viable solution I just want to make sure his dentist has seen him to check for nerve damage in his tooth. If that hasn’t been done, you’ll want to do it right away so appropriate steps have been taken. If, however, he’s been cleared and the main issue is the repair to the chip then great.
Porcelain Veneers for Chipped Teeth
It’s absolutely wonderful that you’re working to give your son the best treatment possible. It shows how much you care about him. While porcelain veneers can fix a chipped tooth, it’s not usually recommended for children. The bite and jaw are still growing and developing. This will require you to replace the veneers way more often than you’d want to, especially with how expensive they are.
While a crown can also “repair” a chipped tooth, you’re right, that is way too much healthy tooth structure to damage when there is a better option.
The Ideal Solution for a Chipped Tooth
Even in adults, we’d recommend dental bonding to replace the missing tooth structure. Yes, they could get porcelain veneers, but it’s generally considered an expensive overtreatment. The exception would be if they were already wanting a smile makeover. Then it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Tooth bonding is fairly simple for any skilled cosmetic dentist. The fact that your dentist didn’t bring it up tells me two things:
1. He’s not a skilled cosmetic dentist and probably doesn’t provide that procedure.
2. He’s not telling you all your options, which he is ethically obligated to do.
In your place, I’d simply look at mynewsmile.com to find a skilled cosmetic dentist in your area. The repair can be done in one procedure, freehand. Your son’s tooth will look perfectly natural. As he grows it can easily be replaced and is a fraction of the cost of other options.
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