Posted by writeradmin
I went to South Africa to have six porcelain veneers placed. Now that I’m back my gums around the porcelain veneers are red and swollen. A friend of mine said that I could rinse with peroxide to deal with the gum problem. My only question is whether or not that will hurt the porcelain veneers. Can you tell me if this is safe?
Isabella
Dear Isabella,
While it is true that the peroxide will not harm your porcelain veneers, it will not help your situation. The problem is with the porcelain veneers themselves. This is one of the problems with dental tourism. The standard of care is different in other countries.
There are a few possibilities for what is going on here.
- There could be an overhang. It is important that the margin between the porcelain veneer and the tooth is made so that it is absolutely seamless. Otherwise the veneers will not meet your teeth under the gumline the way they’re supposed to. When this isn’t formed properly, then the overhang will create a space where debris can get trapped and become a breeding ground for bacteria.
- The veneer could be overcontoured at the gumline. In this case, there will be a slight extra bulge in the veneer at your gumline. Like the overhang, this can also provide a trap for food debris and bacteria and cause gum inflammation.
- There can be hardened cement at the gumline. A skilled cosmetic dentist has a way of ensuring that they get all of the extra cement off. If that hasn’t been cleaned off the tooth, then it will leave a very rough surface there which will irritate your gums.
If the root cause of the problem is not fixed, then the irritation will not go away. That cause has to be dealt with. The easiest of these will be the third cause I listed because then the cement just has to be removed. Other than that, you will have to replace the veneers that are incorrectly made.
If you don’t address the root cause then you will end up with gum disease. That can cost you your teeth.
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