Porcelain Veneers While Pregnant

I’m trying not to panic. I recently had porcelain veneers placed on my teeth and now I just found out I’m pregnant. I’ve heard you are not supposed to have cosmetic dental work done while pregnant, such as teeth whitening. I did whiten my bottom teeth when I had my veneers placed. Now I’m worried between the two procedures I could have harmed my baby.

Ashley

Dear Ashley,

Take a deep breath. Your baby is likely very safe. Dentists are taught to try to schedule necessary dental work on a pregnant woman during the second trimester. This is for two reasons in particular. During the third trimester, sitting in the dental chair for any length of time is uncomfortable for the mother. During the first trimester, it is the most sensitive time for the baby so we try to avoid any unnecessary dental care to avoid introducing chemicals into your body.

Pregnancy and Porcelain Veneers

Hardly any chemicals are introduced into your body during the porcelain veneers process. Your dentist may have used lidocaine as a numbing agent. Fortunately, lidocaine has been used for many years throughout pregnancies, from early on through childbirth and has been proven safe in all cases.

You have nothing to worry about from the porcelain veneers procedure in regard to your sweet little one.

Pregnancy and Teeth Whitening

Yes, they say not to have your teeth whitened while pregnant. That is because it hasn’t been proven safe during pregnancy. However, before you panic, that is NOT because it has been proven UNsafe. The truth is there have been no clinical tests on the effects of teeth whitening and pregnancy.

This is because, as you can imagine as a mother yourself, there aren’t a whole lot of women willing to put their babies up for a medical trial unnecessarily.

I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Congratulations on this beautiful blessing.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.