Expect Your Dentist To Delay A Veneer Appointment If These Issues Are Present
Dental veneers are a cosmetic dentistry procedure that can dramatically change the look of your teeth and help to turn you from someone who seldom smiles into someone who is happy to show off his or her pearly whites. Getting dental veneers takes two appointments, but you can visit your dentist for an initial consultation to learn about this procedure and get the process started. In some cases, your dentist may not immediately move forward with the veneers if other issues are present in your mouth — especially if they're affecting the teeth or gums around your area of focus. Here are some issues that may cause your dentist to delay your first veneer appointment.
Cavities
Dental veneers go directly on top of your teeth, so your dentist will want to be sure that the teeth in question are of good health. If one of the teeth has a cavity, your dentist will not begin the process of fitting it for a veneer. Instead, he or she will fill the cavity and then ask you to visit again for a veneer appointment. Knowing that the tooth beneath the veneer is healthy will help both of you to feel confident about the process through which you'll soon be going.
Evidence Of Grinding
Whenever you visit the dentist, he or she will always be assessing your mouth for visual indicators that you grind your teeth. Doing so can have a number of negative consequences, including damage to the tooth enamel. If it's likely that you grind the teeth on which you hope to get dental veneers, it's probable that your dentist will hold off with moving forward with this procedure. Pressure from grinding onto dental veneers will often knock them off, leaving you with a dental emergency. Expect your dentist to talk to you about ways to curb your grinding habit before proceeding.
Gum Disease
Indicators of gum disease will often compel a dentist to slow down the process of discussing additional dental procedures with you. He or she will, instead, emphasize the importance of getting the gum disease cleared up before proceeding. Gum disease suggests that you aren't taking good care of your mouth, and this may mean that you don't take good care of your veneers. Your dentist wants you to be happy with the veneers, but if you aren't brushing and flossing regularly, the veneers may stain and bother you. Once you've dealt with your gum disease, it will be time to move forward with a veneer consultation.