I wasn’t happy with the gap between my front teeth and I asked about doing porcelain veneers at my last checkup. Instead, my doctor recommended dental bonding to fill the space. He said it would be less invasive and look just as good, so I reluctantly went along with it. He actually did it right there and then, which surprised me. Here I thought I was just getting a cleaning, and the next minute they’re pulling out all the stuff to do the dental bonding. I noticed right away that it wasn’t lined up properly- as in, the space between the teeth is off to one side just a bit. It’s not much, but it’s noticeable to me. He said I just wasn’t used to not having the gap. Well, two days later, the dental bonding fell off on one side, so I went back and had it replaced. Then, the other side fell off. Then, they both fell off. What gives? I’m so frustrated that I wish I had just left it alone. Can I just leave them off next time or will it cause issues?

Thanks,

Jillian

Dear Jillian,

Sorry to hear you’re having so much trouble. Dental bonding is a great alternative to porcelain veneers As your dentist said, it’s far less invasive. Veneers usually require some tooth structure be removed, while tooth bonding only needs minor preparations.

It sounds like something is either going wrong with the adhesion process or the shape is off, so you’re catching them when you bite. These are usually technique errors. Considering that the alignment is off and it was a rush-job, that’s probably the case. Even great dentists miss a spot of moisture sometimes and adhesion fails. However, the fact that it’s happening repeatedly and there were other issues raises a lot of red flags.

It’s ill-advised to just leave it if they fall off again, simply because the surface has been roughened up by etching. Those spots will attract stains and be more prone to decay now. You can ask the dentist to repair it one more time, or it would certainly be within reason to request a refund and have a dentist who specializes in cosmetic dentistry procedures redo the work.