My daughter had porcelain veneers done a few months ago. Not too long after that, she fell and chipped one of the teeth. It was a tiny chip. The dentist’s solution was to sand it just a bit to even the tooth out. Then, he had to sand the adjacent tooth so that they would be the same size. Now, one of those teeth is turning blue. She is already at college and we are panicked that this is a dental emergency. What do we do?
Penny
Dear Penny,
The good news is that I don’t think the repair your dentist did was the cause of what is happening now. The bond between the porcelain veneer and your daughter’s natural tooth should be very strong. Vibrations should not be an issue. I also do not think it is a dental emergency. That being said, there is a problem here. Bear in mind that I have not examined your daughter, but based on your description it sounds like she may have one leaky veneer.
Does She Have a Leaky Veneer?
A leaky porcealin veneer is when the bond between that and the tooth is failing, or wasn’t good to begin with. This is an example of leaky porcelain veneers in their early stages. The coloring comes from substances getting caught between the tooth and the veneer.
This will need to be repaired because decay can develop between the veneer and her tooth. It isn’t a dental emergency necessarily, but she will need to be seen. If she can’t get home anytime soon, she can try to wait. There is a chance that it will fall off. This is actually a good thing, even though it doesn’t sound like it, because it is relatively simple to bond the veneer back on properly if she saves it.
If it doesn’t fall off but begins to turn unsightly and dark, that means a lot more debris has gotten between the two and it will be time to have the veneer removed and replaced. If she is still away at college I would make sure it is an expert cosmetic dentist. Your dentist is ethically bound to provide all his notes and diagnostics to the new dentist which will aide in the procedure. Also, tell your daughter they should do a temporary try in of the tooth and if she isn’t happy with how it matches the other teeth then she needs to tell them to send it back to the lab to get a better match. That is within her rights.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.