Why Is My Porcelain Veneer Staining My Tooth?

I don’t know what’s going on with my porcelain veneer. I had a large chip on a tooth on a front tooth. My dentist fixed it with a porcelain veneer a few years ago. For some reason it’s developed a black stain at the top near the gumline. What can I do to fix that? It’s a little embarrassing.

Wesley C.

Dear Wesley,

There are a couple of possibilities going on here. To determine which, we’ll need to be certain what you have is actually a porcelain veneer. A porcelain veneer is just placed on the front of your tooth. Very little is done to the actual tooth with the exception of some mild shaving. It’s possible your dentist placed a dental crown instead. For these, your teeth need to be ground down quite a bit, to a nub. Then a restoration is made that surrounds the entire tooth.

If you have a dental crown, based on what you’ve said your dentist likely gave you a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown (PFM). Though, for the life of me I can’t fathom why any decent cosmetic dentist would place a metal-based crown on a front tooth. The appropriate crown for a front tooth would be an all-porcelain crown. The metal-based crowns eventually develop a gray line at the gumline. You’ve only had your restoration a few years. That seems a little soon for the gray line to develop unless you have gum disease or possibly if you brush too hard.

If you do have a porcelain veneer, this shouldn’t be happening at all. It’s a sign your dentist didn’t bond it correctly. It should sit flush with your tooth. If your dentist doesn’t properly smooth it out they’ll be a ledge which can trap bacteria. Another possibility is the bond is so week things are getting between the veneer and the tooth. Both of these will lead to staining and, eventually, decay.

The solution to either of these is it needs to be replaced. If the problem is a crown, you’ll want to replace it with an all-porcelain crown. If it’s a veneer, your dentist should replace it free of charge. The mistake was his.

You may have to get a second opinion from someone who isn’t your dentist to get an honest answer.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.