Do you have porcelain veneers and want to take care of them better? Properly caring for your porcelain veneers ensures proper oral hygiene and improved health. Following these tips, you can keep them white and shiny for as long as possible.
So, you’ll want to keep reading. Everything you need to know about maintaining your porcelain veneers is below.
1. Brush and Floss Your Veneers Regularly
First, you must continue brushing and flossing your teeth daily, even when you have veneers over your natural teeth. Since veneers don’t cover your entire tooth, you risk gum disease and tooth decay if you stop brushing them.
Brushing your teeth twice daily with gentle fluoride toothpaste, without any added grit or harsh whitening agents, is best, then floss them once daily.
You’ll also want a soft-bristled toothbrush to prevent scratching your porcelain veneers. Electric toothbrushes are also alright, as long as they’re soft. They can remove many plaque, protecting your enamel and the porcelain veneers.
You’ll want to try brushing after meals slowly and circularly when wearing the veneers. Doing so can prevent food from getting stuck behind them.
Luckily, porcelain is stain-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about drinking red wines, coffees, and teas. They should stay white, even if you’re a heavy drinker of beverages that stain. If you are worried about staining, drinking through a straw will help.
Overall, keeping up with oral hygiene is essential when you have porcelain veneers. Even though they cover some of your teeth, you still need to care for them. Plus, proper cleaning will keep the veneers clean and white, too.
2. Don’t Chew on Hard Foods
Next, you’ll want to ensure you don’t chew on any hard foods. While porcelain veneers are durable, they can still be damaged from chewing ice, nuts, popcorn, raw vegetables, and hard candies. These foods could chip or crack the veneers if you awkwardly bit them.
Sticky foods can also be bad for veneers since they can get stuck between them and the tooth. They could also pull off the veneers. These kinds of foods include taffy, caramel, and chewing gum.
3. Avoid Using Tobacco With Veneers
It’s also vital that you avoid using tobacco when you’re wearing veneers. Cigarettes and other tobacco-containing products have chemicals that can loosen the bonding agent on the veneers. Over time, they could fall off your tooth, and you’ll have to get the dentist to put them back on for you.
You can save yourself the pain, time, and money that would go into that appointment by giving up tobacco products.
4. Continue Seeing Your Dentist Often
Even after you get the veneers on, you’ll want to ensure you continue seeing your dentist frequently. You’ll need to come in for cleanings and checkups. The dentist will check that your veneers are still bonded correctly and that your teeth are healthy and responding well. The cleanings will also ensure that nothing gets stuck in your teeth.
Skipping dental appointments could cause you to miss something wrong with the veneers, so you must make all of them.
5. Use a Gentle Mouthwash Every Day
Next, you can add a swish of mouthwash to your daily routine. It helps you break up debris between your teeth and the veneers, even in spots that are harder to reach with dental floss.
You’ll want to choose a mouthwash formula that doesn’t use alcohol but includes fluoride. This option keeps your teeth strong and won’t harm the porcelain over time.
6. Be Gentle on Your Veneers
You should be kind to your veneers. You’ll want to avoid using your teeth to open packages as this can damage them. It’s also essential that you don’t grind your teeth.
If you grind your teeth at night, you’ll want to bring this up with your dentist. It could harm the dental work in your mouth.
There are a few solutions that your dentist will offer you to help stop the damage from grinding your teeth at night, including:
- Reducing stress: Feeling anxious and stressed can cause people to grind their teeth at night. You can try meditation, exercising, and other stress-management methods to lessen how much you grind your teeth.
- Wearing a night guard: The dentist could also prepare a night guard for you. This option is a custom-fitted plastic barrier that covers your teeth and veneers. It prevents your top and bottom rows of teeth from grinding together while you sleep.
- Changing your diet: Excess caffeine can make you feel more anxious, causing you to grind your teeth more at night. Reducing your caffeine intake can help protect your veneers because of this.
- Going to regular appointments: Your dentist will want to check in on your teeth and veneers to ensure you’re not damaging them. If you are, they’ll let you know what steps to take next to reduce the damage.
7. Tell Your Dentist About Problems
You must also talk with your dentist about any problems with your veneers. You’ll want to tell them about chips, cracks, and loosening. The sooner you let them know there’s an issue, the sooner they can repair it.
You don’t want to let problems with your porcelain veneers persist. The longer issues go unaddressed, the more harm they’ll cause your oral health. They could even cause damage to your natural teeth.
You also shouldn’t try to fix these problems on your own. DIY veneer fixes never go well. Self-repairs can quickly worsen the veneer issues, causing more harm than good. So, you must reach out to your dentist instead.
Maintain Your Porcelain Veneers With These Tips!
In short, you can maintain your porcelain veneers with these tips. Keeping oral hygiene in good condition is one of the best places to start. Always follow what your dentist says to make your new veneers last as long as possible. Regular hygiene routines will keep your veneers and your teeth healthy and looking great. If you are living in Georgia you can visit this clinic for dental treatment:
Written by:
Wohlers Family Dentistry
3733 Canton Rd, Marietta, GA 30066
+17709269914
