I had a set of porcelain veneers done overseas. They look okay, but my gums have been red and swollen from the beginning. The dentist told me that was normal and would go down in a few days. It hasn’t. In fact, it’s been well over a month and my gums are miserable. Do you know if I did a peroxide rinse if it would help with the swelling and tenderness? If so, will it damage the veneers?

Greg

Dear Greg,

While peroxide will not damage your porcelain veneers, it will not solve your problem. In this case, the problem is the veneers themselves. I know you likely went out of the country in order to save money on your smile makeover. This is often called dental tourism. It works sometimes, but not as often as is safe for people to risk.

Your dentist lied to you. The redness and swelling is not normal. Because your underlying problem is the veneers, the first order of business is to find the underlying cause of the problem. If you don’t fix that, not only will you have the irritation, but it will lead to gum disease. Here are a few possibilities:

• The margin between your porcelain veneers and your teeth are supposed to be completely seamless as well as smooth. Without that, there will be an overhang. It will catch food debris. This will become a breeding ground for bacteria and infection.
• The veneer can be overcontoured at the gumline. That means there is an extra bulge in the veneers at the gumline, that also traps food debris and bacteria.
• Your dentist could have left hardened cement that hasn’t been cleaned off the tooth. This will leave a very rough surface there, which will cause irritation. This one would be the easiest to solve.

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