A comparative assessment of the strengths of porcelain veneers for incisor teeth dependent on their design characteristics

Abstract

An in vitro study, using dynamic stress analysis and two dimensional photo-elasticity, carried out to relate the strength of porcelain veneers fabricated to three different designs, demonstrated that the 'window' type of preparation was the strongest compared with 'overlapped' and 'feathered' designs. It also confirmed that the strength of the veneer was not proportional to its thickness. It can be concluded that where strength is an important prerequisite, the most conservative type of veneer, namely the 'window' preparation, is the design of choice