I’m a little concerned about one of my porcelain veneers. I had a smile makeover done as was quite happy with them at the office. However, on the drive home I noticed an indentation with my tongue. I drove straight back worried something went wrong. The dentist looked at it and said it was just a rough spot and he could smooth it right out easy peasy. He smoothed it out then and there and I left satisfied there was no longer an indentation. This morning, though, it seems like that spot looks duller than the remainder of the tooth. Is it damaged? If it is am I being overly picky and it will be fine?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
It sounds like your dentist just sanded the spot a bit to smooth it out. While it may make the porcelain veneer feel smooth, that dull appearance means he removed the glazing in that area. The glaze is what gives your porcelain veneers their shine. It’s also what keeps them from picking up stains.
Without the glazing being restored, your veneer will begin to pick up stains. I know that’s not what you want from your beautiful new smile. Some patients try to bleach them white again with teeth whitening, without realizing the whitening gel only works on natural tooth structure.
But, don’t worry. There are still two options. This can be fixed with a polishing procedure or your dentist can replace the veneer. It’s best you talk to your dentist sooner rather than later. This way you’ve gotten to him in a timely manner and he can’t claim you did anything to the veneer to cause it to pick up stains.
Fixing the Porcelain Veneer
Now it is a matter of whether you want to replace the veneer or have your dentist fix it. Based, on how he did the “repair”, he won’t know how to really fix this. Fortunately, it’s never too late to learn. Unlike a smile makeover, it doesn’t require significant training. The only thing he’ll have to invest in is some specialized materials as well as learning the procedure. It’s not a hard thing to learn.
The materials he needs are diamond polishing instruments and polishing paste, including an ultra-fine diamond polishing paste. Many excellent cosmetic dentists prefer using the Brasseler’s Dialite porcelain polishing system.
Using this, he can get that porcelain veneer as shiny and beautiful as the other veneers surrounding it.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.
