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Protecting Those Veneers:
A Personal Story |
| By Molly McBeath |
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When I got porcelain veneers years ago, I thought my tooth troubles were over. As a kid, the discoloration and pitting of my upper front teeth didn’t bother me much. But as I grew older, I felt more self-conscious about my smile. One day my family dentist suggested I have veneers to even out the color and texture of my teeth.
Fast forward ten years. My veneers are doing great, and I never think about them at all. In fact, the problem the last couple of years was my lower front teeth where I gradually started to notice sharp edges. My tongue was especially observant, constantly darting over to test the edges.
Eventually things came to a point. Literally. The edges of my teeth were so sharp that I could have cut paper on them. My previous dentist had never commented, but when I moved, I asked my new dentist what was going on. “Oh, simple,” he said. “You’re grinding your teeth at night and your veneers are wearing down your natural teeth.”
It turns out that porcelain is much stronger than natural teeth, and when those surfaces grind together, natural teeth don’t have a chance. The veneers were honing my teeth into fine, sharp blades. The dentist said that over time I could develop pressure-cracks in my lower teeth, if they weren’t whittled down to nothing by then.
The solution was to get a nightguard—a plastic appliance you wear over your teeth that protects them while you sleep. There are several different kinds of nightguards. I have one of the newer models that fits just over my two front teeth. It has a small ridge that runs perpendicular to my teeth to make sure that my upper and lower teeth cannot touch. It makes me feel like Bugs Bunny and sound like Elmer Fudd.
Getting the nightguard made was simple. My dentist heated the plastic mold from the manufacturer and then placed it over my teeth so that the nightguard would precisely fit in the grooves of my teeth and gums. After a few minutes, the mold was complete and he trimmed down the ridge so it was more comfortable for my mouth.
That was the easy part. That night I got out my nightguard. Suddenly my front teeth felt big and heavy and I couldn’t close my lips over my teeth. There wasn’t any pain, but I was definitely aware that I had something in my mouth. After an hour of lying there, actively pretending that this plastic icicle was not hanging off my teeth, I gave up. Some sleep is better than no sleep.
The next night was the same, only I gave up sooner. Finally, over the weekend, I actually fell asleep with the mouthguard in. When I woke up the next morning, I was pleased to discover that not only had I managed to wear it all night, but that I felt really good. I’d had mild headaches most mornings, probably from the clenching and grinding I’d been doing in my sleep. But that morning, I woke up feeling great.
That isn’t the end of the story, though. I’ve never been an easy sleeper, and the nightguard was frequently enough of a distraction to keep me awake. But I kept trying, and eventually I got more used to it. I still have nights where I don’t wear it, but they are becoming fewer every month. And I always feel better when I wear it.
Paying for the guard had similar ups and downs. I called my dental insurance and my health insurance and gave them the code for my nightguard, officially termed an occlusal splint. In both cases I was told that such a device was “orthodontic” and therefore not covered under my policy. Naturally, my argument that this was preventive care went nowhere. Fortunately for me, my dentist’s office manager overwhelmed them with paperwork until they gave me half-coverage.
My veneers are great and I’m very happy with the way they make my teeth look. But the nightguard has become an essential part in preserving the rest of my teeth and my overall health. Now I have even more reason to smile.
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