Veneers are a wonderful tool to improve your smile. It can transform even a dreary smile to a million dollar one. Usually, veneers are built to last for a long time. But, in a rare event where your veneers fall out or get damaged, get them fixed right away.
Why do veneers fall off?
Let’s consider the reasons for veneers to fall off. There are various causes to make veneers break off and fall off or get damaged.
Age of veneers
The primary reason is age of the veneers. Porcelain veneers should last at least for ten years, although many people claim that their veneers lasted forever. But conservatively speaking, veneers last for more than 10 years in most cases. As the time passes, the veneers get slowly detached from the teeth as the adhesive bonding gets weakened over a period of time, making the veneers come loose and fall off. Sometimes with age, the bone and jawlines recede, which results in mal fitting of veneers causing them to fall off.
Poor adhesive
The second most common reason is the bonding agent used for veneers to stick on teeth was not of prime quality in the first place. Either enough time was given for adhesive bonding to take place or the technique was not proper. In either, it is a problem of the dentist not of veneers.
Tooth decay
The third common reason is when the teeth on which veneers are placed gets decayed. There are many reasons for teeth decay. It happens because of lifestyle choices and in some cases because of the effects of the prescription drugs that some individuals cannot escape.
Teeth grinding
One more common reason is the patients’ habit of grinding teeth during sleep, or bruxing, for either physical or psychological reasons. If bruxing occurs regularly, the force on veneers is great. Veneers cannot hold up to the pressure on the inside edge and may chip or break or get damaged.
Lack of proper care
Last but not the least common reason for veneers to fall off or break off is negligence and disregard for them. Veneers are delicate devices which require care. If they receive harsh treatment from the wearer, like chewing in hard foods very often, or grinding teeth, they show it in breakage of falling off from the mouth.
Treatment for damaged veneers
As a rule, when your veneers fall off or break or get damaged in any way, DO NOT try to put them back yourself. Getting them fixed by you will further damage them. Carefully put the device in a small container and call your dentist for an emergency appointment.
You may think of how the problem can be solved, once you know why your veneers have fallen off, or broken.
- If you have been wearing the veneers for more than 10 years, you can guess that the wear and tear may have caused them to get dislodged and fall off or break. In such a case your best is to keep the fallen off or damaged veneers carefully in a small box wrapped in soft material and try to get an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. The dentist will have a look at the veneer and decide whether it is in a shape to get back to its place, or whether new veneers are due. Depending on its state, the dentist will gently put it back momentarily and see if they still fit. If it dies fit, the dentist then will clean the veneers of its previous adhesive and see the inside surface of the veneers. Then the inside surface will be chemically treated and rebonding will be done. This kind of repair will again last for years.
- When your dentist has not used the correct bonding agent to attach the veneers to your teeth, and they have fallen off, you need to see another dentist. After the damaged veneer has been taken to the dentist office, and he declares that veneers are good and the problem is bonding them to the teeth, it is time for you to seek second opinion.
- When teeth get decayed, the adhesive gets loosened and the veneers fall. It is important to change your lifestyle, to stop or lessen the tooth decay. Tooth decay is detrimental not only for veneers but for your overall health. If on the other hand, you are on life saving drugs that hastens tooth decay, you need to consult your medical doctor about the side effects of the drug and may be get your dentist to talk to your medical specialist about the problem. In some cases like patients with the history of bulimia, the sides of the teeth have lost the enamel outer covering and have exposed dentine. This will not bond with veneers, and the bonding on dentine fails eventually. The veneers should not have been applied on such teeth in the first place, but it will be a mistake to reattach the veneers on the same teeth again. The best option is to go for porcelain crowns. This will protect the backs of your teeth where enamel has been wiped off completely and there is exposed dentine.
- When you suffer from the habit of grinding teeth in sleep or bruxing, it is advisable to wear teeth guard, which will help in avoiding the veneers getting stressed out and get chipped.
- The most important rule to avoid getting your veneers fall off and get damaged is to look after your veneers well. It is important to take good care of them. Avoid chewing on sugary candies very often. Chewing or biting on hard foods like ice, and toffee should be avoided totally. The veneers cannot take so much pressure. They will give way. Veneers are a high end product and needs to be handled with care.
Finally, do remember to never ever try to glue back your fallen veneers yourself, even if they are undamaged and in one piece. The adhesive used to bond veneers to teeth is a special kind of dental adhesive and cement only dentist can have access to, with their license. Also ordinary glue is not for use in the mouth. Not for consumption, because it is toxic.
Visit your dentist as soon as possible if your veneers have fallen off or are damaged.