Aftercare For New Dental Veneers

How best to look after your new straight, white smile?

Probably just behind teeth whitening when it comes to popularity in cosmetic dental treatments, veneers are an excellent way to improve the appearance of the teeth. They improve not only the colour, but in some instances, the shape of the teeth too. While a teeth whitening procedure will whiten your natural teeth, it can’t do anything about chips and cracks in the way that veneers can.

This procedure can also be used to protect teeth where the enamel has worn away, leaving the tooth more exposed to harmful bacteria and also to extremes of temperature. Anyone with really sensitive teeth caused by this can really benefit from having veneers fitted.

Because they are made from porcelain, a material that won’t decay and is resistant to chipping etc, there is a chance that some patients may think they don’t need looking after. However, this is a mistake, and for the benefit of patients of Blue Sky Dental we will take a look at that in today’s blog.

Good general oral health care

Although it is true that porcelain can’t decay and is highly resistant to damage, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to look after new veneers. There are two issues here. The first being that while porcelain can’t decay, the natural tooth that they are attached to can. If you don’t brush and floss your veneer fitted teeth well, the natural tooth can decay. If this occurs, and cavities form, you may need to have fillings and these are likely to mean that your veneer will not fit as securely as before and you may need to have new ones made.

You should also remember that gum disease can occur just as easily between veneer fitted teeth as any other, so care should be taken to keep this area clean, including the use of dental floss. There is little point in having attractive teeth if periodontitis strikes and causes the teeth to become loose and wobbly, or even fall out.

Staining

Porcelain is largely resistant to staining but it can still occur, especially if you don’t clean your teeth well. If you allow the surface of your veneers to roughen, that will enable staining products to attach more easily. If you smoke, the stickiness of tar in the cigarettes is also likely to accelerate this and the veneers can soon become stained. In addition to the risk of oral cancers and gum disease, this should be cause for you to quit smoking if you have teeth fitted with dental veneers.

Bruxism/teeth grinding

Teeth grinding is a problem for anyone. Natural teeth can chip and crack (or even break in some cases). Enamel wear is common too. This is a difficult condition to treat and is thought to be related to stress. If you are thinking of having veneers fitted to improve the appearance of your teeth, and are aware that you grind your teeth, you should discuss this with your dentist.

If you grind your teeth, there is a real possibility that your veneers may become detached. It may be possible to wear a mouthguard while you sleep to prevent this, but a discussion with one of our Chelmsford dentists would be the best place to start.

The ‘pop off’ factor

While we are on the subject of veneers ‘popping off’, it is worth taking a look at this. The reality is that they are secured to your teeth using a strong dental adhesive. In normal use, they are very unlikely to become detached. There is more of a risk of this towards the end of the adhesive’s life, approximately ten years, but there are also certain actions which do raise the chances of them becoming detached.

To avoid this, you should make sure that you don’t use these teeth to bite fingernails or pencils etc and you shouldn’t open packets with them either. While this is also the case with natural teeth as these actions can cause chipping or breaks, it is also something to be aware of if you have veneers.

In the rare event of a veneer becoming detached, under no circumstances should you attempt to replace it yourself. We use a special adhesive that is tooth friendly unlike commercial glues. These are likely to cause the teeth to deteriorate. In addition to this, you are likely to leave small gaps if you attempt it yourself. Bacteria will inevitably find their way into these gaps and decay is likely to follow, eventually resulting in the veneers needing to be replaced.

Porcelain teeth veneers are just one of the popular cosmetic dental procedures that we offer patients of our Chelmsford dental practice. If you are unhappy with the way that your teeth look, why not arrange a consultation with one of our cosmetic dentists to discuss your requirements and find out how we can help you? To book yours, please call Blue Sky Dental today on 01245 211070.