I’ve been saving up for a smile makeover for years. Now, when I finally have the full amount I needed I find out I’m pregnant. Is it safe for me to go forward with this or do I need to wait until after delivery?

Madison

Dear Madison,

While there are some procedures which are not recommended in the first trimester, such as teeth whitening, porcelain veneers should be quite safe. The concern is about introducing chemicals to the baby. With porcelain veneers, the only thing you have to worry about is the anesthetic used. Fortunately, lidocaine has been tested and proved safe for use during pregnancy and even delivery. You and your baby should be fine.

Who Should Do Your Porcelain Veneers?

There is another important consideration— who should do your smile makeover. This isn’t a skill taught in dental school, nor is there a recognized specialty where dentists become graduates in the field. Instead, dentists with an interest in cosmetic dentistry have to take the initiative to get the proper training post-doctorally.

This makes it a little challenging for patients. How can they separate the sheep from the goats, so to speak? The easiest way to handle this is to find an AACD accredited dentist in a reasonable distance to you. These dentists have been tested vigorously for both their technical knowledge and their artistic ability and are among the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country.

They will give you a stunning smile.

If you can’t find an accredited dentist without a significant amount of travel, which you’re probably not keen on while pregnant, you still have options.

The mynewsmile.com website also recommends excellent cosmetic dentists. Not all of them have reached accreditation, but they’ve all been carefully screened for their ability to do beautiful smile makeovers. Most are on their way to accreditation.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.