What To Do If Your Temporary Veneers Are Falling Off

Are your temporary veneers falling off? Here's what you should know about these dental treatments, including what they are, what to avoid to help prevent them from falling off, and how to decide whether to see a dentist.

What Is A Temporary Veneer?

A temporary veneer is a thin piece of material, typically dental-grade acrylic, placed on the front surface of a tooth to protect it. Most temporary veneers are used to cover a tooth while laboratory technicians create a permanent veneer to a dentist's specifications.

As the name implies, temporary veneers are not designed to be long-term solutions. However, in most cases, they last well enough for the two to three weeks it usually takes to make permanent veneers.

What To Avoid To Prevent Temp Veneers Falling Off

Are you worried about your temporary veneers falling off? In most cases, following these simple guidelines will help keep them in place until your dentist removes them.

• Avoid Impacts: Sudden impacts, such as getting smacked in the mouth by a ball, can knock temporary veneers straight out of your mouth. Avoid any situations where this is a possibility. If you must participate, use a face-covering guard that will protect your mouth.
• Avoid Sticky Foods: Sticky foods can grab hold of a temporary veneer, much like glue, and wrench it off. The best way to avoid this is not to eat any sticky foods in the first place. This includes taffy, caramel, gum, and similar foods.
• Avoid Hard Foods: Similarly, you should avoid hard foods like ice, nuts, chips, and popcorn. These types of foods can place a lot of pressure on your temporary veneer. If the pressure is too much for the adhesive, they'll pop right off.
• Avoid Tough Meats: Most people don't think meat is as problematic as harder foods like chips. However, tough meat can and up pulling on temporary veneers and loosening them enough to make them fall out.

Instead of eating any of these dangerous foods, focus on options like cooked vegetables, eggs, mashed potatoes, pineapple, tuna, and watermelon. These types of soft foods are safe to eat with veneers. Many of them are also quite edible at room temperature, which is useful if your veneer-covered tooth is sensitive to temperature changes.

Should You See A Dentist?

If your temporary veneer feels loose or comes out entirely, the best thing to do is call your dentist as soon as possible. Once you're speaking to them, or a qualified assistant, describe your situation and then follow their instructions.

For example, if you're going to get your permanent veneers in two days anyway, your dentist may recommend pulling the veneer off (if it's safe to do so) and simply doing without it until your appointment. Alternatively, they may ask you to come in as soon as possible so they can replace it.

There's no universal answer to this question because temporary veneers falling off means different things to different people. The only person who can determine the right course of action in your case is a trained professional.