Gordon J. Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD
In this monthly feature, Dr. Gordon Christensen addresses the most frequently asked questions from Dental Economics® readers. If you would like to submit a question to Dr. Christensen, please send an email to [email protected].
Resin Veneers vs. Ceramic Veneers
Q When I suggest ceramic veneers to many of my patients, they balk at the fee. It appears that the recession has caused a visible reluctance in patients to accept elective procedures that they often accepted before the recession. What can I do to overcome this challenge?
A Your question is a common one since the recession started a few years ago. Many patients are unwilling to accept treatment because they’re reluctant to spend their discretionary money. Before the recession, a significant percentage of the indirect restorations placed in the U.S. were ceramic veneers. I’ve been told by some of the major U.S. laboratories that since the depth of the recession, the percentage of indirect veneers being accomplished has dropped to a minimal level. You or I are not going to be capable of influencing patients toward ceramic veneers or any other relatively expensive elective treatment unless they are still financially stable and affluent.
Many years ago, about the time that resin-based composite became a viable and reliable material, I started placing resin as veneers. My peers criticized me for placing what they thought was a relatively “temporary” material as a veneer, but I was convinced that resin would be one of the acceptable materials for veneers. I was right! Some of those resin veneers placed with microfill resin are still in the mouth today, 30 years later (Figs. 1, 2). However, veneers that were placed with larger particle size filler materials soon became rough and had to be replaced.
The ceramic veneers were introduced in the mid-’80s, and their success and relative ease of placement soon made resin veneers less popular.