Dental negligence claims for veneers

While dental veneers can be used to correct the appearance of crooked teeth, they are not an ideal treatment option. Although veneers are often a quicker fix than other options (such as fixed orthodontic braces or clear aligners), they are a more damaging way of straightening teeth – in some circumstances, they can even create problems with the health of your underlying teeth.

Veneer treatment is usually carried out under local anaesthetic and follows these steps:

1. The front surfaces of the teeth that will be veneered are filed down, removing a thin layer of the enamel so the veneer can be attached.
2. A mould will be taken of your filed-down teeth to be sent to the laboratory
3. Once your veneers are ready to be fitted, your teeth will be cleaned thoroughly, and a special gel will be applied to coat your teeth to help with the bonding
4. A bonding agent (usually specialist dental cement), is then used to secure the veneer
5. Any excess cement will be trimmed and the veneer polished

Before your veneers are fitted, your dentist should give you a thorough oral examination to ensure you are suitable for them – they should also gain informed consent from you, which also involves informing you of any side effects, risks and alternative treatments available.

As long as you keep up a good level of oral hygiene, your veneers should last between five to ten years. You should brush and floss as you would normally. If you have had veneer treatment that has gone wrong or suffered neglect at the hands of your dentist, then you may be entitled to claim compensation. 

Contact Dental Law today to find out more about opening a dental negligence claim.

It is not normally possible to remove stains from porcelain veneers; nor is it possible to use teeth whitening products on them. The whitening gel (used by home kits or by your dentist) cannot penetrate a veneer or change its colour – this is because it is not porous, like a natural tooth.

Porcelain veneers require regular brushing. It’s recommended that you follow the same oral health brushing procedure that is required for your natural teeth. Without regular brushing, your veneers will likely stain over time.

As a rule, porcelain veneers are stain-resistant; however, some food and beverages can discolour veneers over time:

• Coffee

• Red wine

• Tea

• Berries

• Cigarettes

• Chewing tobacco

Smoking can also stain porcelain veneers and the frequent consumption of alcohol can negatively affect the dental bonding material used to keep veneers in place.

If your veneers have become stained or discoloured, the only real solution is to have them replaced. Sometimes, it’s not the veneers themselves that stain but the bonding agent around the veneers. If this happens, the stained areas can usually be cleaned.

Teeth under veneers should remain healthy – provided that your dentist has carried out the treatment properly. Before veneers are placed, your dentist should examine your teeth and take x-rays to ensure that you are suitable for treatment.

If you and your dentist are happy to proceed, then the tooth enamel on the front surface of the teeth being treated will be filed down by a millimetre or so. This makes the procedure irreversible, and you will not be able to revert to just your natural teeth again once the drilling has been completed. Once you have started with veneers, your teeth will have to be covered with them for the rest of your life.

Veneers will need to be replaced after a certain amount of time. How long they last will depend on the materials used and how well you look after them. Composite veneers can last up to 5 years with good oral hygiene, while porcelain veneers can last up to 10 years. When your veneers need replacing, the tooth or teeth will have to be drilled or filed again.

If the tooth surface drilling procedure is not performed correctly (for instance, if excessive tooth structure is removed or the tooth overheats), the nerve inside the tooth can become damaged or inflamed, which may lead to the death of the tooth. These situations may also necessitate additional procedures, such as:

• Root canals

• Fillings

• Tooth extractions

Improperly placed veneers or veneers that were unsuitable from the start can also lead to these complications. If you have been given veneers that are unsuitable, or if your dentist has completed the procedure incorrectly, then you may be eligible for compensation. 

Please request a callback from the Dental Law Partnership – the leading specialist for dental negligence in the UK.

When considering dental treatments, a common question is, “how much do veneers cost in the UK?”, as prices can vary significantly depending on the dental surgery and the materials used.

The price of veneers can vary depending on whether you are getting them done on the NHS or in a private clinic. Both the NHS and private dental surgeries charge for veneers, however, going through the NHS is usually much more cost-effective than attending a private dental practice, as the NHS sets out specific price bands for treatment (veneers are classed as a Band 3 procedure).

However, it’s important to note here that NHS veneer treatment isn’t usually available unless there is a clinical need for them.

Cosmetic dentistry can be expensive, and the cost of veneers can also be affected by the fee charged by the laboratory that makes the veneers, as well as the materials they use. The higher the quality of the materials used to make the veneers, the more they are likely to cost.

The cost of dental veneers can also be influenced by other factors:

• The experience, reputation and location of your dentist

• If your dentist works exclusively in cosmetic dentistry, then it’s likely that your veneers will cost more

• If you need preparatory work or further treatment, the cost of the procedure will likely rise.

Composite options are cheaper, as this type of veneer tends to have a shorter lifespan and is more likely to stain. Porcelain veneers can last 5-10 years with proper care and are more resistant to staining. They also look more natural, but require more laboratory work, which is another reason why porcelain veneers tend to be more expensive. Some British people have even been going abroad to find cheaper alternatives, but this can be extremely dangerous, so we always recommend going to a regulated dentist within the UK.

What you would look like with veneers depends on the level of treatment you undertake and the type of veneers you use. 

There are two different types of veneers – porcelain and composite. Veneers made of porcelain are perhaps better known, although they’re usually more expensive, due to the laboratory costs involved. 

Your dentist may have a virtual dental simulation app that can show you what you may look like after certain procedures. It does this by taking a photo of your face and then the app simulates the appearance of your teeth and face after the desired procedure has been carried out. Many people with discoloured or chipped teeth opt to have veneers because they look natural., although other treatments like tooth whitening or cosmetic bonding may be preferable to some people. 

The reason porcelain veneers look natural is because porcelain behaves similarly to tooth enamel and is translucent. When light strikes a real tooth, the light is not immediately reflected off the surface. Instead, it penetrates the tooth enamel and reflects off the opaque tooth dentine that lies just beneath. Well-designed veneers will also allow light to penetrate the surface of the veneer and have a translucent appearance similar to that of your natural teeth.

The vast majority of dental veneer procedures are carried out by private dentists. To complain about bad dental veneers you will need to contact the person responsible for dealing with your practice’s dental complaints. 

If you are not happy with the way your dental practice deals with your complaint then you can contact the Dental Complaints Service, which is funded by the General Dental Council (GDC). The GDC is responsible for setting out the standards of conduct for dentists and regulates all dental professionals in the UK. You can contact the Dental Complaints Service by filling out the complaint form on its website – more information about the complaints procedure can be found here.

If your treatment was carried out on the NHS, your first port of call should be to talk to your dentist to try and resolve the matter. If your treatment was completed in a hospital, then you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). You can also contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman here.

However, you may prefer to instead open a dental negligence claim against your dentist with the Dental Law Partnership. Please contact our expert team here to find out more about the dental negligence claims process.