Ask a few people what it was like to get veneers, and you may hear very different answers. One person might tell you the appointment was easier than expected. Someone else may remember the tired jaw or sensitive teeth afterward. Both experiences can be true because “Does getting veneers hurt?” can refer to several different parts of treatment. For many patients, the procedure is more comfortable than they anticipated. Local anesthetic can help minimize discomfort during treatment, but getting veneers still involves sensations you may notice during the appointment and a period of adjustment afterward. Your experience also depends on your teeth and how much preparation they require. At Esparza Dentistry, we can talk through those details before treatment begins, so you have a realistic idea of what getting veneers may feel like for you.
Does Getting Veneers Hurt During Treatment?
Getting veneers does require us to work on your natural teeth, but we take steps to keep you comfortable while we do it. Before preparing a tooth for a veneer, we numb the area with local anesthetic. You may still hear the dental instruments and notice pressure, vibration, or cool water, but you should not feel sharp pain while the tooth is numb.
Why do we need to prepare the tooth in the first place? A porcelain veneer is a very thin restoration that covers the visible surface of your tooth. Even something thin needs room to fit. We remove a small amount of enamel from the front of the tooth so the veneer can sit where it belongs without making the tooth look bulky.
We often explain to patients that many veneer cases require very little tooth reduction. How much we remove depends on the tooth we are starting with and what we are trying to change. Correcting a small chip may call for different preparation than changing the shape, size, position, or color of a tooth. Your veneer treatment is planned around your teeth, not a standard amount of enamel that we remove from everyone.
Should Veneers Hurt After Treatment?
Once the anesthetic wears off, you get your first real sense of how your veneers feel. Your tongue may keep finding its way to the newly smooth porcelain. If the veneers changed the length, width, or shape of your teeth, they may feel slightly fuller or more prominent at first. Your bite can feel unfamiliar, too, even when the veneers fit correctly.
You may also notice mild sensitivity to cold drinks, hot foods, cool air, or brushing. Preparing a tooth for a veneer removes some enamel, which can temporarily make the tooth more sensitive to temperature. The gums along the edges of the veneers may feel tender after treatment as well. For many patients, these changes improve over the first several days, although temperature sensitivity can sometimes take a week or two to settle.
If any pain worsens, that is a different story. If one tooth hurts when you bite, feels as though it makes contact before your other teeth, or remains sharply sensitive to hot or cold, let us know. A veneer or the bite may need to be checked and adjusted. Throbbing pain, swelling, or sensitivity that continues without improving also warrants a call to our office.
As you adjust, your veneers should start to feel less like something new in your mouth. If a tooth continues to hurt, catches your attention every time you chew, or feels noticeably different from the teeth around it, it’s worth checking.
Plan Your Veneer Treatment With Esparza Dentistry
Seeing a finished veneer case doesn’t show how much work your teeth need. You may need only minor changes to a few teeth, or you may be considering a larger change in their shape, length, color, or alignment. At Esparza Dentistry, we provide free consultations to discuss what you want to change and explain how we would approach your teeth before you commit to treatment.
If concerns about pain or tooth preparation have kept veneers in the “maybe” category, come talk with us. Schedule a free veneer consultation at our Ontario, Chino, or Rialto office to find out if treatment is right for you!
