The Science and Art of Porcelain Laminate Veneers

Edited by:
  • G. Gurel
(Ed) Surrey: Quintessence, 2003 price £138, pp528 ISBN 1850970602 | ISBN: 1-850-97060-2

This large and weighty text book is designed for reference from the shelf or table-top, not the pocket! The text runs to 517 pages and includes numerous good quality colour illustrations, including line drawings and clinical photographs, which would also prove valuable for in-surgery patient education. The text font is large and easy to read.

The work is divided into fourteen chapters including aesthetics, adhesion, colour, clinical procedures, failures, periodontal considerations, adjunctive orthodontics and patient education and management. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography, which includes up-to-date references but extends over a large date range. The main contents list is comprehensive. The index is sufficiently detailed to allow the reader easy navigation through the text.

The main author is of Turkish origin and contributions are made by six additional authors but the translation is of good quality. However, a number of typographic errors were noted being more common in some chapters than others. As is often the case, the style of the authors differs and some chapters are easier to read than others. American spelling is used throughout.

The author defends and promotes aesthetic dentistry and emphasises the role of dental aesthetics on patient's morale and self-esteem. However, dental and facial harmony is recommended firmly and the author rightly deplores the 'whiter-than-white' dentition.

Throughout the text, emphasis is placed on communication and treatment planning and all aspects of tooth preparation, bonding and finishing of porcelain laminate veneers are covered. A chapter on failures is usefully included.

In the reviewer's experience, veneer removal is extremely difficult if enamel is to be conserved yet all porcelain and resin removed, and some readers may feel that these difficulties are under-stated in the text. The author predicts that porcelain laminate veneers will become increasingly used, and this may well be the case. However, in the reviewer's practice, porcelain veneers are becoming less frequently employed as alternative techniques and materials improve.

Despite this, porcelain veneers have their indications and practitioners will find much of interest in this book. Moreover, several chapters will prove useful for general reference, in particular those covering aesthetics, colour and adhesion. It is likely that the number and quality of the colour illustrations have dictated the cover price.