Porcelain Veneers – Part 2 – Preparations – The Bite

Preparation is all important in whatever you do. More so with porcelain veneers. The veneer is can be quite thin and should not be overload with bite. The bite also defines ultimately the shape of the tooth.

In some cases, with a heavy bite, we sometimes build the bite up on all the teeth to increase the height of the teeth. Thie is called increasing the vertical dimension.

This can reduce the grinding pressure on all the teeth and allows us to make the teeth longer, (and last longer too!)

This can also be achieved on a smaller scale with an adjustment of the opposing tooth before preparing the veneer.

The lower tooth is slightly rotated and, with help of biting paper, the contact is heavy on the corner of the tooth we want to prepare.

So, with the adjustment, we have created room for not only biting down, but for grinding your teeth backwards and forwards and side to side.

Remember, the bite defines the shape of the tooth and how it functions with the rest the teeth and the jaw.

It’s a package deal!

It’s also not a set and forget. If the bite changes (such as after a tooth extraction or wear over time of adjacent teeth), the veneers may start to be bitten more heavily.

The bite may need to adjusted or an occlusal splint may need to made to protect the teeth.