The process of applying them means that part of your tooth's enamel was ground off, which means that you are now dependent on the veneer to protect your tooth. This can make it alarming if damage occurs to the veneer. The following guide can help you handle the issue so that a proper repair can be made without any further damage to your tooth.

Assess the damage.

The most common forms of damage to a porcelain veneer are chips, cracks, or debonding. Chips and cracks can occur from a myriad of reasons, including outside trauma (such as when playing sports) or from biting into a hard food. Debonding is when the entire veneer comes off, sometimes due to trauma but more often because the bond, or adhesive, has failed. If the damage occurs due to trauma, make sure there is no damage to the tooth or gums, as this could necessitate emergency care. You have more time to plan out a repair if the damage is only to the veneer.

Save the broken veneer.

It's important to save the veneer, especially if it came off whole. In many cases the dentist can reuse a whole veneer that has debonded. This will save you the cost of purchasing a full replacement veneer, since it is much cheaper to reattach the veneer you already have. Even if the veneer is chipped, your dentist may want to see it. They won't be able to reuse it and a new veneer will need to be made, but an examination of the chip can help your dentist determine the cause of failure so they can see if there is anyway to avoid it happening again in the future.

Practice proper hygiene.

You may not be able to get the veneer fixed right away, which means you will need to be especially mindful of your dental hygiene on the exposed tooth. Brush thoroughly but carefully, especially if there is still part of the veneer intact. You don't want to tear it off and cause damage to the underlying tooth. This is especially true for flossing, since floss can get stuck under a broken edge and pull off the remaining veneer. You may also experience some tooth sensitivity, to hot and cold especially. This is because the enamel and the underlying nerve endings are more exposed than you are used to, but it is no reason to be concerned.

For more help, contact a dentist, such as Tore D Steinberg DDS PC, as soon as you have an issue with your veneers.