Nakseongdae Dental Clinic: If a front tooth laminate veneer falls off, can’t it just be reattached? Anterior crowns and Realnate re-prosthetics

Hello,

I’m Director Park Jeong-gi of Seoul Remember Dental Clinic in Nakseongdae.

As laminate veneers have become more popular, there are now more patients than expected who visit because theirs have come off.

Most people then say,

"Can’t you just glue it back on?"

That is a completely understandable thought.

From the outside, it just looks like it has fallen off.

But laminate detachment is much more often caused by underlying issues than simply worn-out adhesive.

For example, the bite may not be aligned properly, there may be a problem with the tooth shape, or even decay may have developed under the restoration, causing it to lose retention.

So simply reattaching a detached laminate may not be a fundamental solution.

Today, at Nakseongdae Dental Clinic, we will look at a related case and see how it can be treated.

1. Problems found at the initial visit

2025.03.27

Looking at the intraoral photo taken at the first visit, only the upper right canine (13) appears noticeably darker in color and different in texture, showing that the existing restoration had come off.

You might think it could simply be reattached, but

when the intraoral examination was performed, there were many additional issues.

The upper right canine (23) also had secondary caries developing underneath the existing prosthesis.

Although it looked fine on the surface, decay had developed inside the prosthesis,

so in this case, the originally attached prosthesis itself had to be removed, all decay eliminated, and then the area restored again.

2025.03.27

Also, when examining the entire anterior region at Nakseongdae Dental Clinic, it was confirmed that the lengths of the incisal edges of each tooth did not match one another.

The incisal edge refers to the tip of the front teeth, and if this line is uneven, it looks aesthetically unbalanced when smiling and also affects function and occlusion.

2. Treatment plan

2025.03.27

At Nakseongdae Dental Clinic, we judged that this case required an approach to the entire anterior region, not just a single laminate issue, so we established the following plan.

• 11, 21, and 23: all-ceramic crowns
• 12, 13, and 22: Realnate

For teeth that needed more structural support, we decided to secure both stability and aesthetics through crowns.

For areas where we could reduce tooth reduction relatively while still achieving a natural shape, we decided to proceed with Realnate at Nakseongdae Dental Clinic.

3. What were the results?

2025.04.10

Three crowns and three Realnate restorations were used in a balanced way, with each tooth treated according to its condition.

When you compare the before-and-after photos at Nakseongdae Dental Clinic, you can feel a change that goes beyond simply making the teeth look better.

2026.03.27 / 2025.04.10

Before treatment, the detached area on 13 was yellow, and the overall incisal edge line was uneven.

In addition, due to the decay under the prosthesis on 23, the color tone and margins of the prosthesis were also in poor condition.

However, after treatment, as the incisal edges were aligned evenly, the front tooth line connected more naturally when smiling,

2025.04.10

and the color and shape of each tooth can be seen to blend harmoniously with the surrounding teeth.

2025.04.10

If a laminate veneer comes off, that may not be the end of the problem itself. It is important to carefully check what caused it to come off, what the occlusion and condition of the surrounding teeth are like, and whether there is any hidden secondary caries.

Also, as in today’s Nakseongdae Dental Clinic case, when we start with diagnosis, choose the procedure suited to each tooth, and proceed with restoration while considering overall harmony,

we can achieve an aesthetic result that lasts longer.

Thank you for reading. This was Director Park Jeong-gi of Seoul Remember Dental Clinic in Nakseongdae.

Treatment period: 2026.03.27 / 2025.04.10