I have veneers on 6 of my front top teeth. The tooth behind 2 of the veneers is rotting away. What can I do?

Hello Becca,Just because some of your teeth look rotted, does not mean that they are actually rotted all the way through.  This means that some or all of these teeth may be able to be saved by removing the veneers and decay, then replacing them with crowns.  I would recommend going to a dentist to have these teeth evaluated.  Good luck and I hope this info helps you. Follow me if you have more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMDSt. Louis, MORealSelf100

Prevention is the key to avoid problems like yours.  The prevention is both patient care and design of restoration by the dentist.You need to have all decay removed from the tooth, if necessary you could need pulpal treatment or root canal therapy.  It may be possible to save the veneers or they may need to be replaces with crowns.  You want an experience cosmetic/ restorative dentist who understand the intricacies retrofitting matching restorations.I would always prefer to do the first restoration of a mouth over correction of problems. Patients prone to decay are often better served with wrap around veneers or 3/4 crowns to standard veneers.  In my practices I want to create answers to immediate problems, but also long term solutions for 5 years, 10 years and lifetime results. Sometimes this means waiting on final crowns until a healthy state is achieved.  When possible I like 2 visits for standard crowns and at least four visits for cosmetic makeovers.Step 1. Models, Bite, Photos for creation of diagnostic wax-up. This is the master plan.Step 2. Preparation and transfer of diagnostic wax-up to patients mouth. Also impression and bite.Step 3. Patient returns few days later to evaluate and make changes to insure the final result is what the patient is looking for. This step can be repeated to insure meeting patient expectations.Step 4 Delivery of final restorations.This is based on a health patient without major decay or gum disease or bite issues. Full mouth reconstructions are more complicated but can also be done utilizing the same steps.Ira L Shapira DDS, D,ABDSM, D,AAPM, FICCMOChair, Alliance of TMD OrganizationsThinkBetterLife.com

Decay behind veneers needs to be addressed immediately. The veneers should be removed and the decay cleaned out in order to avoid pulpal (NERVE) involvement, which could lead to a root canal. If there is sufficient tooth structure remaining to bond to a NEW replacement veneers can be fabricated. However, a full coverage crown may be indicated to better protect your tooth.As with all information, contact a local dentist prior to proceeding with treatment.Hope that helps!

Seek a cosmetic dentist with good references. It is possible you may be able to save the tooth/teeth with a root canal and crown but that will be up to your dentist to determine. Alternatively, you may need to consider a bridge or dental implant to replace the tooth if it requires an extraction. You need to determine what is causing the tooth decay. Remember you need 3 things to get tooth decay and you must have all three - sugar, bacteria, and a tooth. Lets face it we all have bacteria and teeth so the variable is sugar. You have to really examine your diet and snack habits. Soda's or candy are very common culprits and another is ice cream before bed. The reason I'm making this point is that if you clear up all of the decay, it will return again if your habits don't change. Crowns and veneers don't prevent decay. Also, a good dentist will want to put you on a prescriptions strength fluoride tooth paste immediately. This can help to slow the decay process while treatment is being considered. Wish you the best!Hank D. Michael, DMD - General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry

Dear Becca:Sorry to hear about your problem, but the only thing that you can do right now is to go to your dentist and have your teeth looked at. It is absolutely impossible to give you any critical information without a proper physical examination and looking at x-rays.Many times, small areas of decay behind veneers or fillings can be fixed with another small filling. However, if the decay is extensive, you might have to have the tooth root canalled,  have a post/core fabricated and a crown, or worse yet, the tooth might be non-restorable and will have to be extracted and replaced with an implant. In any case, all this information cannot possibly be ascertained over this very limited forum. Please go to see your dentist. Best of luck,