I’m planning to marry in a few months and I can’t stand my smile. My teeth look terrible. I have two veneers on my front teeth and have had them half my life; I’m 34 now. My teeth are looking yellow and I see a black color on top. What can I do about this? I need to look beautiful for my wedding.
– Tara from Louisiana
Tara,
Your porcelain veneers should be able to last for at least 16 to 18 years if they are taken care of and they should not look yellow. One thing you did not mention is if they were porcelain or composite veneers because this makes a difference.
I will assume they are composite veneers. Composite veneers discolor very quickly due to their materials. In fact, they may begin to discolor within the year of being placed. This will also depend on what you eat and drink as foods and drink with strong colors will permeate the composite veneers.
Porcelain veneers are known for staying white unless they are cleaned with the Prophy Jet, which can rough up the porcelain surface and diminish the glaze. When this happens, the surface becomes porous and this makes it easy for staining foods to adhere to the teeth.
Your veneers need to be replaced because you have black showing at the top. This is probably from leaking and the bond is failing near the gum line.
A dentist must be careful when they are placing veneers because the place where that bond is created is delicate. If the procedure isn’t correctly done, fluid may seep up from the gum line and the bond will fail. Dentists trained in cosmetic dentistry will be experienced enough to know they need to pack a retraction cord between the gum and the tooth, and this cord will be saturated with an astringent that prevents fluids from seeping in and contaminating the bond.
The best advice – you need to replace your veneers. Not only do you want to look good for your wedding but you also need to fix the problem before leakage leads to underlying decay and other issues.
For more information about Baton Rouge Family Dentist, visit Dr. Perry’s site.