While eating dinner tonight, you felt something weird happen to one of your teeth. Upon further inspection, you realized that your veneer fell off. Since this has never happened to you before, you start to panic. Why did this happen and what are you supposed to do now? To help you get the situation under control, here are five reasons why your veneer might have fallen off and what you should do next.
5 Reasons Why Veneers Fall Off
Knowing what caused your veneer to fall off in the first place can help you avoid this problem in the future. Five common reasons why veneers fall off are:
- Bad adhesion – If the wrong bonding technique is used or the tooth isn’t prepared properly, this will prevent your veneers from attaching to your teeth properly and may cause them to fall off.
- Damage – Clenching or grinding your teeth, chewing on hard food and objects, or eating sticky candy can damage your veneers or lead to them loosening and falling off.
- Decay – Cavities can destroy the structure of a tooth. This may cause your veneers to fall off.
- Trauma – If you take a hit to the face, this may result in your veneer becoming loose and detaching from the tooth.
- Old veneers – Veneers that are overdue for a replacement may also end up falling off.
What to Do If Your Veneer Fell Off
Now that you know what may have caused your veneer to fall off, what should you do next? If your veneer detaches from your tooth, follow these steps:
- Call your dentist – Explain what happened to your dentist. They will walk you through next steps. If the incident occurred outside of normal office hours, their voicemail may give you information on what to do next.
- Keep it safe – Look for the veneer. If you find it, store it in a sandwich bag for safekeeping and bring it to your appointment. Your dentist may be able to reattach it. If you can’t find it or it can’t be reattached, they will have a new one made.
- Be cautious – Until your dentist has fixed the tooth, chew on the other side of your mouth. You should also avoid hot, cold, sharp, sweet, acidic, or spicy foods, which can irritate the tooth.
- Use a temporary solution – Apply dental wax to keep rough edges from irritating your tongue or cheeks. Don’t attempt to reattach the veneer as using products that aren’t dentist-approved can damage your veneers or mouth as well as introduce harmful chemicals into the oral cavity.
Losing a veneer can be alarming, but there’s no reason to panic. With the above steps and by avoiding things that can damage your veneers, you can protect your teeth from harm and keep your smile looking as lovely as ever!
About the Practice
If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and been unhappy with gaps, cracks, chips, and minor alignment issues, South Ridge Dental offers high-quality porcelain veneers that can help. Additionally, if one of your veneers fell off, they can give you instructions on what to do next and get you into the office as soon as possible to reattach it and get your smile back on track. Ready to make an appointment with South Ridge Dental or want more information on veneers and what to do if yours falls off? Call their office at (402) 423-1616 or visit their website today.