How much reduction is required for free hand composite veneer placement?

Free hand composite veneers can be applied with or without prior tooth preparation. If patients would like the bonding to match the shade of the preexisting shade of their teeth, then often little or not preparation is necessary. Veneered teeth, done without a prep, can be anywhere form a half millimeter to one millimeter more prominent than the preexisting teeth. Many smiles actually look better with this additional prominence.

Often there are good reasons for a cosmetic dentist to prepare the teeth. If a patient is only changing several teeth in an arch, then the additional prominence may not be aesthetic. Also, if the patient desires their veneered teeth to be lightened, than preparation is usually needed to provide the opaquing needed to mask the underlying darker tooth structure.

The decision on whether to 'prep' or not, and the amount needed, usually should be determined on a tooth to tooth basis. As long as enamel is left on the prepped tooth to bond to, prior preparation of a tooth surface causes no real harm.

Although patients may feel that they would like the procedure to be entirely reversible, very few patients, who choose bonded veneers, ever choose to go back to their old look. Reversibility may be desirable if a patient is considering orthodontics in the future.


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