One of the surest signs of an unhealthy mouth is bad breath. So, do coatings cause a bad odor in your mouth? Answer is no! Coatings do not cause bad odors in your mouth. If you neglect your oral hygiene, bad odors may occur on the edges of the coatings. We’ll explain how and why this happened, and most importantly, what you need to know to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.
You May Be Avoiding Oral Hygiene
Veneers are thin shells, usually made of porcelain, that cover the surface of your teeth to hide imperfections and reflect a perfect profile. While veneers cover most of the surface of your tooth, they do not cover the entire tooth. The small portions of your natural tooth at and below the gumline are exposed to the contents of your mouth, including bacteria. Oral bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease will not affect your actual veneers, but they can still affect your natural teeth and gum tissue. When bacteria build up between your teeth and along and under your gumline, these bacteria can cause bad breath. Oral bacteria produce bad odors and bad breath by breathing in sulfur, which contributes to many bad odors.
Your Veneers May Not Be Fitting Properly
Properly fitting dental veneers fit tightly to the underlying tooth without leaving any obvious edges or gaps. A veneer that does not fit properly can leave gaps between the veneer and the surface of your natural tooth. If you notice a foul odor around your veneers but are careful when it comes to oral hygiene (brushing and flossing), the culprit may be that the veneer isn’t sitting properly. You should contact your doctor to confirm that your veneers are sitting properly and to address any issues as soon as possible.
You May Be Suffering From Gum Disease
These bacteria, which can clump on the edges of a coating, can produce bad odors entirely on their own. Worse than that, the same bacteria can cause periodontal disease. Gum disease in the form of gingivitis or periodontitis in the gum tissue adjacent to your veneers. Once in place and left untreated, this gum disease can spread to other areas of your gums. There are many symptoms of gum disease; red and swollen gums, bleeding gums, loose and sensitive teeth, and most importantly for our purposes, stubborn bad breath that mouthwash can’t solve.
You May Be Suffering From Tooth Decay
Like a crown, the integrity of your veneer is highly dependent on the health of the underlying tooth. While a veneer covers the anterior surface of your tooth, it does not cover the entire surface and does not cover the back of your tooth or its roots at all. Even a veneered tooth is vulnerable to tooth decay if oral bacteria and food particles are allowed to build up in your mouth. As tooth decay progresses, it contributes to a wide variety of symptoms: sensitive teeth, cavities, a bad taste in your mouth, and bad breath.
Bad odors that appear to come from your veneers or the teeth and gums around your veneers are unfortunately common because tooth decay, gum disease and poor oral hygiene are also common. While most professionally installed veneers will fit properly, an improper coat can also contribute to bad breath in your mouth. All of these situations can be embarrassing to be sure, but they also expose your underlying tooth, adjacent gums, and other teeth and gums in your mouth to health problems.
If you notice a foul odor near your veneers, contact a dentist near you to help identify the cause and help resolve the underlying problem before your oral health is put at risk.
