An old veneer that was unbalancing the smile
This patient presented a complex situation, in terms of both the shape and the colour of her teeth. An old veneer on the upper right lateral incisor (tooth 12) was unbalancing the smile: it was too wide compared with the central incisors, and its shade was more saturated.
The risk would have been to prepare more teeth in order to “make them uniform”. The aim was different: to restore a natural harmony, without overtreating.
Whitening first, before deciding
First step: three weeks of at-home whitening, to improve the overall colour environment, that is, the shade of the teeth that the future veneers would have to match.
After this step, the shade and shape of the canines were in harmony. There was therefore no need to treat them.
A plan limited to the four incisors
The digital wax-up confirmed that treatment limited to the four incisors was enough. A targeted gingivectomy was also planned, to even out the gum line and improve the proportions.
The difficulty of the case came down to two points: correcting unbalanced proportions, and blending four feldspathic ceramic veneers with the natural teeth without any break in colour. To achieve this, the shade was taken following the eLAB protocol before any preparation, so as to give the dental technician as much information as possible.
The clinical steps and the result
The old veneer was removed, then the gingivectomy and the preparation were carried out in the same session, and the mock-up was put in place. Three weeks later, the four feldspathic veneers were bonded.
A limited treatment, but one thought through as a whole. Digital design: Francesco Zammillo; laboratory: Guillaume Sabathier. An individual result: it depends on the starting situation and on maintenance. The treatment is described on the ceramic veneers page.
