I’m hoping you can shed some light on my cosmetic dentistry problem. I just had nine total eMax veneers placed last week. Now, I can’t floss. Is that a big problem in maintaining the look of my porcelain veneers?

-Sheila in Florida

Sheila,

Not being able to floss correctly after getting porcelain veneers is a major problem. Excellent oral hygiene is imperative in maintaining and keeping cosmetic dentistry beautiful. Lack of daily flossing will lead to an increased risk of tooth decay around the shell of the porcelain. If the situation is not remedied, your teeth are highly susceptible to serious problems, not to mention the health of your gums.

The truth of the matter is that only a very small percentage of dentists that “claim” to be cosmetic dentists, actually do beautiful work that meets the standard of care. It is not a recognized specialty area within dentistry, so any dentist can say the do porcelain veneers. But in order to provide excellent care requires extensive training and coursework beyond dental school. Since your dentist did not use correct dental bonding techniques, the spacing sounds like it’s all wrong.

You should be able to floss between each tooth, even after getting porcelain veneers placed. The floss should glide smoothly along each tooth and not run into any snags or bumps along the way. You will be at risk for gum disease as well, if this is not corrected. Your gums will become puffy and their overall health will suffer without regular flossing.

At this point it may be wise to seek a second opinion from an experienced cosmetic dentist, one that thoroughly understands the proper porcelain veneer bonding techniques to provide adequate function and spacing. You can go back into the dentist that placed them and express your concern. But since this was the end product he left you with, you really may be better off moving on.

Thank you for your question. Hopefully, it will help others be careful in learning more about their cosmetic dentist before moving forward.