Painful Effects of the Veneer Procedure

It's been a year since the permanent veneers have been on. They do feel like real teeth now, however, there IS that awareness and feeling that you shouldn't bite into anything too hard, like an apple. Even hamburgers and sandwiches give me hesitation and I'm careful. I still would not recommend it unless you are completely aware that your real teeth are shaved down to nubs. This was not explained to me before the procedure. I understood that they needed to be sanded in order for the cement to hold more securely, which made sense to me. I didn't know my real teeth would be permanently damaged. I am hoping these veneers last as long as my real teeth would. Also, they are not the shape I thought they would be. I understood that I would have a chance to see the fit and the look before committing to them. This was not really true. I mean, once your mold is made and sent to be made into veneers, you don't really get to keep ordering new veneers. And you don't want to wait so long either for the new order because the meantime is painful! If I would have received the ideal shape and size teeth I wanted, perhaps I would be more satisfied now. But as it is, I am stuck with these until they fall off. I didn't realize I could have just gotten braces to space my teeth a little closer and not had so much damage done. That was all I really wanted. After the veneers were put on, the dentist used a mini-saw between my teeth to carve out the cement which prevented me from flossing. It carved up through my gums, and this was the space that I wanted to avoid in the first place of getting my veneers! I wanted to avoid gaps between my teeth and gums! This is the whole reason for my investment and ordeal.

It's really unfortunate that other treatment options (braces) weren't presented to you. I'm sorry to hear you aren't fully satisfied with your results.

You may already know this, but if/when you need to have the veneers replaced talk to the dentist about the lab they use, and ask to see picture of patients who had their veneers done by that dentist using that specific lab. The lab has a lot to do with how nice the veneers come out.

Your teeth should not be shaved down to nubs. Only roughing of the surface so the veneer can be applied to the entire front of your tooth. I had original veneers in 1988. Just had six upper veneers and two crowns last week to replace my 25 year old veneers which had significantly darkened over the years. Wanted a lighter bleached color. It has only been a week. So far so good. Very sensitive gums now. I see dentist next week. Very pleased with appearance.

Your teeth should not be drilled down to nubs with veneers. Only the surface roughened up so the veneer will adhere to the tooth surface. It sounds like you had caps.

Yes..I think surgical misadventure has taken place and now I am living with terrible pain daily. I don't know if my gums are infected or just plain irritated. My teeth were beautiful. They may have needed a whitening procedure but, I now believe this dentist was greedy.

@kdawgg:  I'm sorry you had such a rough experience :(.  How long did the pain last, and were the root canals to fix the pain, or were they separate?  When I got a crown done, it was extremely sensitive for a week but then stopped completely.  It sounds like your experience with the veneers was different.

The pain continues and the root canals occurred after the dentist over drilled the teeth down. I spoke to another dentist tonight who saw my teeth prior and he told me I only needed a whitening procedure if I want one. My teeth weren't that yellow. He added that the poor economy may have pushed the dentist to suggest the most aggressive choice. I have lost 12 lbs because it is very difficult to eat!

I forgot to mention, I needed the root canals AFTER she drilled the teeth. They were perfectly healthily prior per her assessment for a routine cleaning! I have had pain for a month...sometimes severe and I can't pronounce "s's" very well.

The root canals happen one after the other, like falling branches...which is why I think it was a thermal insult. Each tooth was "insulted" to a different degree. But some happen 2 at a time over 1 month after the temps were taken off. I told the dentist I was in pain after the temps were put on...the real pain had yet to come. March 18th when the Veneers were placed was the beginning of the worst thing I have ever endured. The injury to the pulp likely happened first and then the nerve died. Gases build up in the tooth when the nerve dies and that's when you wish you were too. It was simply horrible.

:(:(.  

For some reason, I never got notified of your reply!  Very strange--I just happened to stumble upon you again.  And it says you have zero comments when clearly you don't.  I noticed that you've finally shared your story in a review!  Hopefully that will be published soon, and then others can hear about your experience as well.  I look forward to reading it.  

I have been fighting to become strong again... I lost so much weight from the ordeal, I came down with throat infections and there were days I was to weak to get out of bed. This coming from a well trained athlete who just won the Head of the Charles in the 50+ women's eight. I was strong before the procedure and have been fighting to regain my weight and strength. I am only up to 135 lbs and can't seem to gain more weight. My real weight should be 145 lbs. It has taken a long time to process these events. Clearly, I was traumatized. Being a doctor, I didn't want to put her name in my review; but, as the hell continues, I realize that is not responsible. I asked for the molds and she only sent the molds of my real teeth. Another dentist thinks she "over prepped" my teeth. My heart is heavy. I just want my yellow teeth back.

There is no "standard of care" being practiced in some of these cases! As a result, you can have a terrible result. It has been almost a year,,,it is difficult to gain back the weight i lost because of the massive destruction to my real teeth. Would you carve out the tucks of an elephant? I think not..and so I say again. This is a highly invasive procedure that merited full disclosure...If you told me my teeth would be carved up I would have RUN out of the office. The pain goes on....

What can we do about it now? How much $$ would I need to sue her? I'm not even finished treatment but there's no turning back now. I feel so dumb that I even considered this to begin with...