I had some pain and swelling near my nasal cavity. I thought it was a sinus infection, but when I went to my doctor he said it was a dental issue. I went to my dentist and he said I have a periapical abscess. He is referring me to an endodontist in order to have a root canal treatment to deal with the infection. What’s got me worried is I spent a fortune on a smile makeover. I received eight porcelain Veneers. One of the teeth with a porcelain veneer is the tooth which needs a root canal treatment. Will this damage my porcelain veneer. Should I expect it will need to be replaced?
Brianne
Dear Brianne,
First, I want to express it is important you go ahead and schedule the appointment with your endodontist. Don’t put off getting the root canal treatment or you could end up with a serious dental emergency. The sooner things like this are taken care of the better. Though, in this case, you thought you were taking care of a sinus issue, so that is understandable.
I’m a little curious as to why you ended up needing a root canal on a tooth with a porcelain veneer.
When your teeth were prepared for porcelain veneers, it should have removed only about half a millimeter of tooth surface. The technique, when done correctly, is very gentle on your teeth.
However, some dentists can be very aggressive and remove almost all the enamel. Some, less honest dentists, go even further and grind the tooth down to place porcelain crowns and just call them porcelain veneers. I’m wondering if your dentist was too aggressive in his tooth preparation and that is what led to your tooth needing a root canal treatment.
Root Canal Treatments on Teeth with Porcelain Veneers
When a tooth has a root canal treatment, it can cause it to turn dark. You don’t want that to happen with your beautiful veneered tooth. Because they are so translucent, like our natural teeth, the darker color can show through. There is a way to help with this.
The majority of the darkening comes from residual cement and root canal materials left in the tooth. Many family dentists don’t realize that so you may need to show him this post. He’ll need to make sure all the material gets cleaned out of there. Then, he’ll need to place a WHITE fiberglass post into the root and fill the remainder of the area with a light-colored composite. This can forestall any darkening for 10+ years.
As for whether or not the veneer will need to be replaced, that should not be the case if he bonded everything on correctly.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.