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Dental Veneers
Porcelain dental veneers are thin pieces of porcelain that cover imperfections to change the overall appearance of your smile. They could change the shape, size, length, and color of your teeth. Patients that have chipped, broken, gapped, or discoloured teeth might find that they have more confidence in their smiles following their treatment.
While porcelain veneers are very durable, if you want them to last for a long time, then you need to care for them properly. Potentially they can last 10-15 years or more if they are maintained well. In this blog, we share some tips that can help you care for your porcelain veneers.
Taking Care of Your Veneers
It's essential to take good care of your veneers if you want them to last as long as possible. While it pays to be extra careful about certain things, no special care is needed to keep your veneers in optimal condition. Actually, caring for your veneers is easy when you take the following steps:
Maintain good oral hygiene.
If you already have a solid dental hygiene routine, you probably won’t need to change it to care for your veneers. All you have to do is floss, brush, and rinse:
- Brush - Use a non-abrasive toothpaste and either a manual or electric toothbrush to brush your teeth at least twice a day; ideally, you should brush after every meal.
- Floss - Floss at least once a day to remove particles caught between teeth and to protect the health of your teeth, veneers, and gums. It’s best to floss after every meal.
- Rinse - Swirl some antiseptic mouthwash around your mouth once or twice a day to rinse it. Choose an alcohol-free mouthwash, because excessive exposure to alcohol can cause the adhesive agents to soften. While this softening wouldn’t cause the veneers to fall off, it might make them more susceptible to staining and wear.
Avoid grinding your teeth.
Bruxism refers to grinding or clenching your teeth while sleeping, and it’s a bad habit for patients with veneers because it puts a lot of stress on them. It’s also bad for your teeth and jaw joints, so if you suspect that you grind your teeth, speak with your dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist can fit you for a nighttime bite guard. Wearing this device while you sleep will protect your veneers from damage.
Don't chew items that can damage teeth.
Veneers are fairly durable, however, they may break and chip. While normal foods shouldn’t be problematic, we don't recommend chewing on excessively hard materials such as ice, pens, bones, and your fingernails.
Protect your smile from damage.
Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but participating in basketball, football, wrestling, and other contact sports can endanger the health of your new smile. To protect your veneers and your natural teeth from getting damaged you should speak to your dentist regarding a sports mouthguard.
Be careful of stains.
As with your natural teeth, veneers can be stained, so we suggest limiting your intake of foods that can lead to discoloration, such as coffee, red wine, dark sodas, tea, curry, and berries. Smoking could also cause staining, so if you smoke, you might want to consider quitting; not only will it improve your overall health, but it will also help keep your veneers white and bright.
Visit your dentist regularly.
Routine dental checkups are a must for people who want healthy teeth. Making it a point to see your dentist roughly every six months will help to protect both your teeth and your veneers by ensuring that any potential problems are spotted quickly and treated before they become bigger concerns. In addition, your dentist or dental hygienist will use professional equipment to polish your veneers and preserve their pearly-white gleam.