Getting Porcelain Veneers While Pregnant

Question submitted by Emily:

I’m a bit of a mess right now. I just found out I was pregnant. Aside from being shocked and realizing I have no idea what I’m doing so how in the world am I going to raise a kid, I’m also in a bit of a panic because of some dental work I had done. I didn’t realize I was pregnant so I had porcelain veneers placed. When I told my sister that I was pregnant, she asked if I was worried that I caused problems because of my cosmetic dentistry. She’d read that you are not supposed to have any cosmetic work done while pregnant. So, tell me straight up? Did I hurt the baby?

Emily

Dear Emily,

The first thing I want you to do is take a deep breath. You’ve got this! Now, congratulations! I know you are terrified, but this is an exciting time and a true blessing. If it makes you feel any better, I can already tell you are going to be a good mother because you have already started worrying about your child. That’s a good sign.

As for what your sister said, while dentists will discourage cosmetic work during pregnancy for a variety of reasons, you getting porcelain veneers in your first trimester will not have brought any harm to your baby.

Dentists will tend to avoid any unnecessary dental work in those early months, because that is when the baby is most susceptible to substances. When it comes to porcelain veneers, though, the only real substance used is a numbing agent such as Lidocaine. This has been approved for use during pregnancy. In fact, it is often used during the labor and delivery process. You have nothing to worry about with that.

This blog is brought to you by Tucson Prosthodontist Dr. Howard Steinberg.
Click here for patients looking to learn more about cosmetic dentistry.