If you’ve just gotten veneers or are thinking about getting veneers, you may have wondered if veneers can fall off. While the answer is yes, they rarely fall off on their own. Certain activities contribute to veneers becoming damaged or loose. The good news is that any fallen veneers can generally be cleaned and reattached to your teeth. Veneers do wear down over time as well. Eventually, all veneers need to be replaced, but there are actions you can take to maintain them and avoid damaged veneers.
What Are Veneers?
Dental veneers are usually made of medical-grade porcelain via thin, sculpted sheets that cover your teeth. They look and feel natural. To get the most natural-looking veneers, a cosmetic dentist will make sure that they’re molded to the original tooth to be indistinguishable. Porcelain veneers can completely hide teeth imperfections like stains, cracks, and gaps.
Despite the thinness of the sheets, veneers have a strong resistance to breaking and other damage. Veneers are also quite resistant to stains, including those from coffee and red wine. You can expect them to stay completely white as long as they are properly maintained. Veneers can last for a long time. Ten years is only the minimum estimated longevity.
How Can Veneers Fall Off?
Veneers can fall off or get damaged for a variety of reasons. Even though the risk is minimal due to how much work goes into adhering them to your teeth, it’s still possible. The following are some of the more common reasons for veneers to fall off:
- Tooth grinding
- Decay due to constant consumption of candy and sticky foods
- Eating hard foods and chewing on ice
- Biting pens or pencils
- Using teeth to open packages
- Face damage
All of these actions or situations weaken the original bond of the veneer to the teeth. In the case of eating sweets, the sugary residue is hard to remove from the teeth, which may result in decay behind the veneer. This loosens the bond and can cause the veneer to fall off.
Avoiding damaged veneers is as simple as avoiding the activities mentioned above. You should generally limit the amount of sugary and sticky foods that you consume with veneers. It’s best to avoid them completely. If your veneers get damaged or fall off, you should immediately make a dentist appointment. It’s not a good idea to attempt to reattach them yourself. To attach veneers in the first place, the dentist scrapes off a thin layer of enamel on your teeth. Once this bit of enamel is gone, it cannot regrow.
You can’t reattach veneers without proper dental bonding. The best way to prevent damage to your veneers is to treat them with care and to visit your dentist regularly. Routine visits allow your dentist to examine your oral health and the status of your veneers to prevent any future problems.
How Should Veneers Be Maintained?
The optimal way to keep your veneers in good shape is to make regular dental visits. That way, you can get your veneers checked for signs of damage or too much wear. If one of your veneers falls off, make sure to keep it and bring it to your next dental appointment. The fallen veneer can generally be reattached. A lost veneer will have to be replaced through the same process.
At Lovett Dental Corpus Christi, we provide dental veneers as well as a range of other cosmetic dentistry services. Call 361-986-1117 today to find out how we can help you keep your veneers in top shape.
