Hi, I’m Dr Thea, one of the dentists here at Dental House Group.

Last Monday, I had a smile consultation with a new patient, Cecille from Riddells Creek. Over the years, she has been grinding her teeth, so they are a bit shorter than she would like. Also, since she loves her red wine, unfortunately her teeth are no longer as white as they were.

She is interested in getting veneers to improve her smile. She had many questions during our smile consultation. One of them was, “will my teeth be sore after placing veneers?” Since so many patients have enquired about this, I wanted to make a video to answer the question.

For those who don’t know yet, dental veneers are thin coverings that are bonded onto the front of teeth to cosmetically improve how they look. Many patients use them to hide discoloured teeth and to change the shape and size of their teeth. They can also help straighten teeth for patients who have mildly crooked teeth but don’t want to wait for braces, or who want to avoid the discomfort and inconvenience of traditional braces.

While being a popular dental solution, some patients are reluctant to get them because they are concerned that it might cause too much pain or cause their teeth to be sore. This concern may be because many patients know that we have to prepare a tooth for a veneer, which means shaving it.

You see, to make veneers stay on teeth, some of the enamel is removed to create a rough surface that holds the bonding and the veneer. This is what makes them last long and look and feel like your natural teeth.

In reality, only 0.3 to 0.5 millimetres of enamel is removed. Today’s porcelain veneers are strong and durable, and will replace the enamel to protect your tooth. To make sure patients are comfortable, we use local anaesthetic while the teeth are being prepared. But as the anaesthetic wears off, some patients may feel mild discomfort. Over-the-counter pain medication is usually enough to keep you comfortable.

Even with the small amount of enamel removal, some patients may find their teeth feel more sensitive to hot or cold food and beverages. Some patients refer to this sensitivity as soreness. The discomfort can last anywhere from a few days to three weeks. Again, over-the-counter pain medications can help, as well as avoiding foods and beverages of extreme temperatures. It’s also beneficial to avoid hard or chewy foods until your mouth and teeth feel ready, so you can avoid unnecessary discomfort. Also, rinsing with warm salt water can reduce swelling if you experience gum irritation.

I hope this answers your questions about tooth sensitivity after getting dental veneers. If you are thinking about veneers or upgrading your smile, we would love to help.

Here at Dental House Group, we offer flexible payment plans, which means you can get your dream smile faster!

Simply call us on 1800GENTLE, DM us on social media, or complete the form on our website and we will help you organise a consultation. See you in the next video!

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