Abstract

The laminate veneer is a conservative alternative to full coverage for improving the appearance of an anterior tooth. Laminate veneers have evolved over the last several decades and become one of the esthetic dentistry's most popular restorations. A porcelain veneer is an extremely thin shell of porcelain applied directly to the tooth structure. This restoration can be used to improve the color of stained tooth, alter contours of misshapen teeth, and close interproximal spaces. Tooth preparation is minimal, remaining within enamel. The restoration derives its strength from the ability of a composite resin cement with a silane coupling agent, to bond with etched porcelain and etched enamel. It biomimetically restore the mechanical behavior of the crowns of teeth on which they are placed, i.e. they mimic or recover the biomechanics of the original tooth by means of the restorative material and technique. As a consequence, besides achieving natural appearance of the smile, the stress distribution in a tooth is also restored with porcelain veneers similar to that of a sound tooth. This case report illustrates the restoration of esthetically challenged maxillary anterior teeth using porcelain laminates with 3 years of follow up