Porcelain veneers help enhance your oral health condition, but these veneers might fall off. Veneers are subjected to erosion, and as a result, they might loosen. Though the chances are slim, it is not an impossible phenomenon.
Is the falling off of a porcelain veneer considered a dental emergency?
The falling out of a porcelain veneer is not an actual dental emergency, but it should be dealt with immediately. As a thin layer of teeth enamel has been removed to place the porcelain veneer, the tooth is exposed to bacterial and fungal invasions, which might be severe. Maybe the danger may not be serious immediately, but things can take an ugly turn if you leave it unattended.
Why do veneers fall out?
Over time, your veneers may slowly get detached from your teeth. This is because the dental veneers were bonded over your teeth with an adhesive and the strength of this adhesive keeps on diminishing with time. This makes the veneers loose to such an extent that they tend to fall off. In addition, as you age, your jawline and bone tend to recede, resulting in the misfitting of veneers, which might force them to fall off. They might also fall off if your dentist does not fit them properly, aligning them with your gumline. If your veneers tend to fall off frequently, it might be time to look for a new dentist.
Can you reapply a fallen veneer?
Yes, it is possible to reapply a fallen veneer with your dentist's help. If your veneers suddenly fall off, you should not hesitate and immediately jump into action. You should immediately contact your dentist and inform him of the situation. Get the earliest appointment possible so the veneers can be reapplied.
The more you delay, the more your tooth pulp will be exposed to air. This is risky because harmful microbes or bacteria might invade your tooth pulp.
Steps to follow to fix veneers that have fallen off
Follow the below steps if the veneers have fallen off.
Collect the fallen pieces
It would help to collect all the pieces in a clean and sanitized container. However, since the veneer is one large piece or a few small pieces together, you should first accumulate them in a stable place. Putting them back in your mouth immediately after it has fallen off is not advisable. Instead, you should leave the fitting back of the veneer to your dentist.
Inform your dentist
If the veneer falls off, it is advised that you do not try to fix this on your own. Since the porcelain is delicate, the porcelain might chip off if you press the veneer against your gumline with excessive force. There are chances that you can end up ruining your porcelain veneer. Instead, you should call your dentist and immediately visit him. It is better to carry the fallen off veneers in a clean, sanitized container. Your dentist will use professional tools and fix the veneers back in their place without chipping the porcelain off.
Use a temporary solution
If your dentist cannot give you an appointment on time, you need to think of a temporary solution. When a situation arises that neither can you fix the veneers on your own nor can you wait since your teeth behave sensitively to every food intake, you can apply dental wax on your exposed enamel. You need to squish a flat and thin layer of wax on the affected teeth area. This will act as an efficient barrier.
Wait till the dentist cleans the veneer before putting it back in your mouth
Before fixing the veneers in your mouth, your dentist will clean them thoroughly. Since your veneer had fallen out, it had come in contact with the external environment and might have picked up harmful microbes and bacteria. If these harmful elements come in contact with your teeth pulp, it will degrade your teeth health.
Professional ways of cleaning the veneers
There are various professional ways to clean the veneer. These ways ensure that your veneers are now safe to be put back in your mouth. The first way is sandblasting. After that, your dentist will further clean the interior of the veneers with hydrofluoric acid. After cleaning, the dentist will etch and rebind the veneer. Also, if the dentist does not want to perform these activities, they have another option. The dentist can replace your veneer with small but similar broken pieces of other veneers. By employing either of these ways, your dentist will bring back your veneers into functionality.
How can you prevent porcelain veneers from falling off?
Many a time, it is seen that if you have the habit of bruxism, you might unknowingly grind your teeth at night, and as being exposed to that tremendous grinding force, your veneers fall off. In addition, if you exert excessive grinding force along with your teeth edges, which are covered by porcelain veneers, the pressure will force the veneers to get dislocated. To avoid this from happening, you can wear a protective appliance at night, which would reduce the effect of your teeth grinding on the veneers.
Probability of porcelain veneers falling off
If we talk generally, porcelain veneers are durable and can stay as long as 20 years. Since they are firmly placed on your teeth, they act as the outermost layer of your teeth. But the durability of the veneer depends on how the dentist has applied them and how you have been taking care of them. Since the veneers are attached with a strong adhesive, they do not cause falling off issues, but there are always exceptional cases.
Conclusion
If this mishap occurs, you need to stay calm and composed. Collecting all the veneer pieces is essential, but it is not a bad idea if you feel you should discard them and go for a new one. However, you should not try to fix the veneer, as that might worsen the situation. Your main aim should be to get an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.