I recently had porcelain veneers placed. I do like them, but ever since, the gums of my two front teeth have been massively inflamed. I spoke to my hygienist about it and she blamed it on how I’m brushing. I was annoyed at that because I am almost 50 years old and have never even had a cavity. I’m pretty sure I know how to brush my teeth. A month later I had a follow-up appointment. The dentist looked at them and removed some cement from the area. That gave me some relief but it still hurts. They don’t seem concerned and I don’t know what to do next. Have you encountered this before?
Meg
Dear Meg,
I do not like it when dentists try to put things off on the patients. I have often found that patients love their smile makeovers so much that they take better care of them than they even did before they had their porcelain veneers placed. There is obviously something wrong here. Inflamed gums can lead to gum disease and indicate there is irritation.
There are a few possibilities. The first is there is an allergy to the porcelain itself. This is rare but it does happen. I don’t think this is actually your issue because it is only the gums around two of your teeth. You did not say how many porcelain veneers you had placed but I am assuming it is more than two. I just mention it for the benefit of anyone else who may be having a similar problem.
A second issue is there is still more cement there. I am a little concerned that there was any cement there to begin with after a month. Dentists who do a lot of cosmetic work normally have a system for preventing this. Most will cure the cement in the middle to tack the veneer on and then clear off the excess cement while everything is still soft.
Finally, the margins of your veneers could be uneven or gapped. This will trap food and other bacteria between the gums and the veneers, leading to inflammation, pain, gum disease, and decay.
What I want you to do is go to an expert cosmetic dentist to have these looked at and determine what the actual problem is. Once you know what is causing the problem, then you can finally get this fixed. I’m going to guess your dentist has some complicity in this, so he should be expected to pay for the repair. Removing the cement won’t be a big deal. However, if the problem is the margins, the entire case will have to be redone. In that case, I would just get a refund and have a more expert cosmetic dentist re-do the work. I would have an AACD accredited dentist be the one to check your veneers and do the new porcelain veneers if that becomes necessary.
This blog is brought to you by La Jolla Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Stephen Doan.