What to Do if you Lose a Veneer

Veneers can give you what feels like a perfect smile. Every day when you look in the mirror, you see a set of glistening, perfectly aligned, perfectly uniform teeth gleaming back at you.

However, veneers do have a flaw—if you aren’t careful, they can break or fall off. If that happens to you, you might not know what to do. Here’s a guide to the actions you should take if you lose a veneer.

What Do I Do If My Veneers Fall Off?

If your veneer falls off, the first thing you should do is to make sure you aren’t injured. If you are, you should rinse out your mouth to clean it. Be careful not to bite down on your veneer, or to swallow it. Then, if there’s any bleeding, you should apply pressure to the area until it stops.

The next step is to secure the veneer and put it in a safe place. Even if the veneer is broken, it’s better to save it in case your dentist can repair it. Finally, you should call your dentist as soon as possible. They’ll schedule you for an emergency appointment and try and see you as quickly as they can.

If it’s after normal office hours, you should see if your dentist has an emergency after-hours number—they’ll usually leave this on their front desk’s voicemail. If there isn’t one, just leave a detailed message with the front desk. They’ll give you a call back as soon as possible.

What Can Be Done if I Lose My Veneer?

What will be done for a lost veneer depends on a few factors. If the veneer itself is intact and your tooth is in good condition, your dentist may be able to simply put it back where it was.

That said, veneers are expected to last around twenty years. After that point, wear and tear may have caused the veneer to weaken too significantly for it to be put back on. In that case, it could certainly be possible that the veneer itself will have to be replaced. This is also the case if your veneer has broken, or if your tooth has decayed significantly since the veneer was originally placed.

About Our Practice

At Dentex Dental of Philadelphia, we want to take the guesswork out of going to the dentist. You won’t have to hope that we’ll see you quickly, or that we’ll actually listen to your concerns; we can guarantee you that we will. If you’re dealing with a  dental emergency, we’ll make time for you.

If you have any questions about what happens when veneers fall off, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (215) 677-3904.