A 14-year-old with intact, unrestored, healthy teeth has begun modeling, and her parents insist you place veneers. What do you recommend?

Correct answer: D. Explain the risks of irreversible preparation and suggest whitening if any change is wanted

• A. No-prep veneers still commit the patient to lifelong maintenance and replacement, and in a growing patient the gingival relationship will still change. It is a softer version of the same problem.
• B. Parental insistence does not create an indication. Parents can consent to treatment their child needs; they cannot authorize elective destruction of sound tissue.
• C. Orthodontics is only appropriate if there is an orthodontic indication, and the stem describes teeth that are already well aligned.
• D. CORRECT. Removing sound enamel from a 14-year-old is irreversible, unnecessary, and clinically premature — the gingival margins are still migrating apically as passive eruption completes, so any margin placed now will be exposed within a few years. Non-maleficence governs. Whitening is reversible, conservative and addresses the actual concern.

Note: The principle generalizes: elective irreversible esthetic dentistry should wait until growth is complete and gingival margins are stable, typically the late teens at the earliest. Document the discussion carefully when you decline.