After a person gets dental veneers, the main question will be how to take care of porcelain veneers for optimal efficiency and durability. Many factors contribute to good dental and oral care, which leads to long-lasting veneers without complications. In this article, we will go through all these factors in detail, so by simple yet crucial actions, you can have a healthy smile.

How to take care of porcelain veneers: oral hygiene methods

Undoubtedly, oral hygiene and dental health are important factors in veneers’ preservation. Thus, maintaining oral hygiene is an effective way to take care of veneers. By following the methods for oral hygiene, you can make sure your veneers are taken care of well.

• Rule #1: brushing and flossing
• Rule #2: fluoride mouth rinse
• Rule #3: gum disease
• Rule #4: regular check-ups

Rule #1: brushing and flossing

To enjoy your veneers for a very long time, you should brush your teeth with a non-abrasive toothpaste that contains fluoride and a soft-bristled toothbrush. This routine prevents plaque formation, gum recession, and tooth decay for natural teeth. Ideally, people with veneers should brush their teeth after every meal, but if that’s a difficult task, at least twice a day can be sufficient.

For spaces a toothbrush can’t reach, flossing comes in handy. However, the approach would be to floss after each meal, flossing at least once a day is also very effective and can clean off the difficult areas of the hidden bacteria, and prevent cavities and plaques.

Rule #2: fluoride mouth rinse

To make sure there’s no plaque or food residue after brushing and flossing, you can wash your oral cavity with a fluoride mouth rinse. Alcohol-based mouthwashes damage the bonding agent and cause the porcelain veneers to loosen and come off. People with veneers should use fluoride antiseptic mouthwash once or twice a day for better care.

Rule #3: gum disease

Gum disease and gum inflammation result in gum recession if left untreated. Receding gums can affect the way a veneer looks on the teeth, as well as weaken the bonding agents and cause the veneers to come off. Practicing proper oral hygiene routine and regular visits to your dentist can prevent this situation.

Rule #4: regular check-ups

When one has permanent veneers, they should visit their dentist every six months for thorough monitoring and professional teeth cleaning. During these appointments, teeth and gums are examined, and any potential problem is detected and treated accordingly to ensure your oral health and veneer’s durability. A dental hygienist will polish your teeth with special equipment to remove any present built-up tartar or plaques.

How to take care of porcelain veneers: prevent damages

Even though porcelain veneers are durable and strong, they are not invincible. Many internal and external triggers can cause damage to veneers, and knowing them helps us learn how to care for porcelain veneers.

• Rule #1: do not grind or clench your teeth
• Rule #2: watch what you eat
• Rule #3: smoking and alcohol
• Rule #4: contact activities

Rule #1: do not grind or clench your teeth

The habit of grinding or clenching your teeth mostly at night or bruxism due to physical or psychological reasons can cause your porcelain veneers to wear down or severe damage such as chipping or cracking. In addition to causing damage to veneers, bruxism harms natural teeth and the temporomandibular joint and should be avoided.

To avoid these problems, your dentist will give you a night mouth guard also called an occlusal guard. The night guard protects the teeth and veneers against this bad habit.

Rule #2: watch what you eat

You should care about what you eat as chewing on hard foods and having sticky snacks can cause serious damage to your porcelain veneers.

Improper care after a meal can generally end up in plaques on your veneers and even cavities on your natural teeth. Care for porcelain veneers after eating something is a crucial step for their durability.

• Eating and drinking sugary things: Sugar increases bacterial activity and may cause your natural teeth to get cavities. Also, plaque and tartar build-up detach the veneers from the tooth surface and gum recession which is one of the reasons for veneers to come off.
• Eating sticky things: Sticky candies can be difficult to clean off of the teeth’ surface and hidden spaces, leading to tooth decay and cavity formation. Decay and cavities in a tooth underneath a veneer, cause the attachment to become loose and the veneer might eventually fall if no treatment is done.
• Eating ice or hard things: Chewing hard foods, hard and raw fruits, ice, and candies can cause chipping and cracking of the porcelain veneers and should not be consumed so often.
• Eating foods that stain: Some beverages and foods leave stains on permanent veneers and should be consumed wisely. These include red wine, coffee, tea, soy sauce, dark sodas, and berries.
• Chewing and biting objects: Do not bite on non-food material such as nails, pens, pencils, or any other object that you might bite down while you’re stressed. It puts pressure on the veneers causing them to be chipped, cracked, or worse come off. Your teeth and veneers are meant to be used as a tool. You should not try to open stuff with your mouth or break nuts while watching an interesting movie.

Rule #3: smoking and alcohol

For better-looking veneers and a pleasant smile, you should protect your veneers against staining. These two factors cause discoloration and staining on dental veneers. Alcohol can also weaken the dental cement and cause the veneers to fall off.

Rule #4: contact activities

Serious damage to veneers can occur while playing contact sports such as football, basketball, baseball, and martial arts. During these activities, direct physical injuries to the face and mouth can lead to the breakage of the veneers and result in their falling off. To avoid any potential trauma you could wear contact sports guards while doing sports.

The importance of taking care of porcelain veneers

Veneers are a nice choice for your smile reconstruction. By having veneers on your misshapen teeth, you will get the astonishing appearance you have always dreamed of and you can smile confidently without worrying about the shape of your teeth. Once you get porcelain veneers it is essential to know, caring for porcelain veneers is as important and crucial as caring for natural teeth, if not more. Proper care for veneers increases their durability, maintains their ideal function, and prevents your teeth from looking unpleasant.

Undeniably you spent a great deal of time and money on your veneers and you would wish to take the best advantage of it. That’s why you should take care of your dental veneers in a proper way.

In this article, we mentioned all the dos and don’ts of care post veneers so you can practice the best care for your dental health and preserve your porcelain for the longest possible period.

We hope this article answered all your questions regarding care for porcelain veneers. If you require any further piece of information get in touch with one of our expert medical consultants to help you.

Reference:

Alothman Y, Bamasoud MS. The Success of Dental Veneers According To Preparation Design and Material Type. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(12):2402-2408. Published 2018 Dec 14. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.353 link