How to Make Veneers for a Cross Bite Case

This video is an excerpt from the June 2015 Dawson Faculty Office Hours with Drs. Jeff Scott and Steve Hoard. Moderating is Dr. Pio Modi (PM). To watch the full office hours and to sign up for future office hours, visit the Videos and Webinars page. 

The following is a transcription of this video excerpt.

Question: I would like to understand what to do to make veneers for a cross bite case.

Jeff Scott: I guess my question there is, “tell more more about the cross bite that you had.” I guess I’ll make a scenario that I faced myself and maybe Steve can think of something too.

So a few different scenarios.

The first scenario: The cross bite that is very stable, which they often are, and you want to leave it in a cross bite. You are using the veneers for color – maybe it’s dark teeth. Maybe there is chipping or crowding and you are going to correct that using the instant orthodontic version of veneers. In your preparation, you aren’t going to move the incisal edge of that tooth longer or shorter or horizontally at all, then if the teeth are in the same place it isn’t a problem.

On the other hand, if you are trying to correct a cross bite with veneers, you can’t really do that.

The one case I’m thinking of, though, the laterals were a cross bite and the centrals were not. We used invisalign to move the laterals out and barely jump it, then corrected the anterior teeth with normal veneers. I corrected the cross bite then I made the veneers.

Steve, do you have any thoughts on that?

Steve Hoard: Yeah, I agree with you 100%. If you are going to essentially keep the cross bite and the bite is stable, there’s not chipping or wear and you want to put the incisal edges right back where they are without lengthening, then you can certainly change the color with veneers. If you are going to do any instant orthodontics, you might be looking at doing invisalign or braces to move things. You can also do some minor corrections and cheap with porcelain as far as crowns to make sure the occlusion is right on that.