When you have new veneers placed on your teeth, they are white and shiny. However, as time passes, you may notice that your veneers become stained and that your teeth begin to look dull. Below is a guide to the steps you can take to help to protect your smile when wearing veneers.
Avoid smoking
Smoking isn't just bad for your health; it is also bad for your smile. Cigarette smoke contains large quantities of tar and other impurities. While porcelain veneers are resistant to the tar and other stain-causing substances found in cigarette smoke, your natural teeth and composite veneers are not. This can cause a colour mismatch as your natural teeth turn yellow and your veneers remain white. While you could opt for a tooth whitening treatment which may return your natural teeth to their proper colour, the best course of action is to give up smoking completely.
Avoid certain food and drink
Food and drink are one of the primary causes of staining when composite veneers are fitted. You can protect your veneers by avoiding food and drink that is rich in colour, such as coffee, tea, red wine, curry and berries. If you do enjoy any of this type of food or drink, you should immediately wash your mouth with water after the meal to help to remove food debris from the surface of your veneers.
Avoid using whitening toothpaste
Some people make the mistake of thinking that regular whitening toothpaste will help to keep their veneers looking great. However, standard whitening toothpaste is not designed for use on veneers. The microscopic abrasive particles found in whitening toothpaste can damage the surface of your veneers, causing them to look dull. Standard non-whitening toothpaste will help to keep your veneers and the rest of your mouth healthy and clean.
Visit your dentist on a regular basis
You should maintain regular visits to your dentist. As well as checking your overall dental health, a dentist will be able to clean your teeth and veneers to remove any build up of plaque or tartar which has formed on the surface. Once they have cleaned your teeth, the dentist will use a non-abrasive oral polish to make your veneers shine.
If you would like to find out more about how you can look after your new veneers, you should contact a dental office, such as The Happy Tooth Kurri Kurri, today for further help, advice and information.
