Expert: Rafael Mosery,D.D.S. - 11/28/2007

Question
Hi - I recently had 8 veneers put on my upper teeth (#1,2,3,4 on each side).  This happened in 3 goes as the front 2 veneers looked awful & had to be re-done.  The last 2 veneers (#4 on each side) were put on just before the re-fit of the front veneers.  I noticed there was pain between R3 & R4 which was very sharp when I flossed, and I managed to extract a large shard of cement myself.  However, I still had some discomfort and asked my dentist to investigate after he had finished fitting the front veneers.  He tried with floss, then got his drill and drilled at the top of R4.  I was numb at the time, but later on experienced incredible pain in that tooth when taking a hot drink.  This sensitivity continued for about a month.  I then went back to have my lower teeth cleaned, and after that visit experienced serious toothache all round the right side of my mouth - as high as my cheekbone and right at the back of my lower jaw too.  This has not gone away despite a course of penicillin.  Painkillers are not having much effect either. I am about to see a different dentist - but my question is, are my veneers not working well together since they were done in fits and starts?  Are they pushing my teeth places they don't want to go?  Is my bite wrong, perhaps?  When I went to an emergency dental place to get penicillin at the weekend, the dentist there tapped all my teeth (really hurting R4) and said the widespread ache was referred pain from that tooth.  Final question - will taking the veneer off R4 help?  Needless to say, these veneers were very expensive and I'd like to leave them in place if possible.    
Any comments very welcome!

Thanks

Beverly

Answer
The veneeer placement at different intervals has no effect on the outcome.It sounds like at this point # 4 needs root canal therapy. It would be beneficial to take x rays of the treated teeth to detect any other remnants of cement and remove same.The rct should be done and the veneer on that tooth should be saved.Let the new entist check the bite as well for any interferences.Don't take off any veneeers.