Care of Porcelain Veneers
How long these beautiful restorations last depends a lot on how well you take
care of them. The porcelain itself wears as well or better than your natural
teeth. The bond between the laminate and the tooth is very strong. The
porcelain is also immune to tooth decay, however, the uncovered part of the tooth is
still susceptible to decay, so you can get cavities with veneers. If you consume carbohydrates frequently between
meals, or if you do not floss and brush diligently, you will have a greater
chance of this happening. If you take excellent care of your teeth, they
will last many long years. It would be best not to think of them as being
permanent - think of them as lasting ten to twenty years with good care.
After porcelain veneers are placed, we often notice that the health of the patient's gums
improves. In some cases this is because the teeth now have a more ideal contour
that tends to lend to healthy gums. In other cases, it is because the patient,
who now has beautiful teeth instead of unsightly ones, has a greater motivation
to take care of them, much as the owner of a nice car will take pride in
washing, maintaining, and protecting it. If you do happen to notice that the
gums become puffy or begin to bleed around any of these laminates, or if you notice
an area that begins to snag floss, it's an indication that something is amiss.
Please make an appointment to have them cleaned and checked.
To maximize the lifespan of your investment, we
recommend special professional maintenance
techniques. Be very careful who you have maintain them and what they do.
Hygienists that don't have special training in the maintenance of porcelain
veneers will not know what needs to be done to keep them looking their best. We
recommend maintenance visits up to four times per year when you have a new smile
with these restorations. This will give the dental office an opportunity to keep the margins
polished, thus prolonging their life. But not all cosmetic dentists will recommend this.
The resin used to bond the porcelain to the teeth can be susceptible to stain.
Staining and deterioration is accelerated by alcoholic beverages, which soften
the surface of the resin. Avoid highly abrasive toothpastes, as they can scratch
the margins. A toothpaste that is an excellent cleaner and is also gentle is
Supersmile whitening toothpaste. It is available from cosmetic
dental offices, but not from stores. We make it available from our web site
for a discount.
Porcelain veneers are not designed to withstand sharp impacts and they can fracture,
just as your natural teeth can fracture. Do not bite pins, nails, bottles, etc.,
and do not strike them with hard objects. If you engage in contact sports, wear
a mouth protector.
Checklist for care of porcelain
veneers by the patient:
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Brush and floss faithfully. Keeping
them clean is your best insurance |
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I recommend
Supersmile whitening
toothpaste when you have porcelain veneers. When I was in practice, I
gave every smile makeover patient a free tube to start them off, because I felt so
strongly about that. It keeps the stains off, but it is gentle and won't
scratch your beautiful dental work. |
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Avoid frequent snacking, which
promotes tooth decay. |
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Protect them by not biting metal
objects, and by wearing a mouthguard for contact sports. |
Care of porcelain veneers by the
dental hygienist:
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Never use a Prophy Jet or other power
polishing equipment. The porcelain will look great at the end of your
appointment, but you will have removed the glaze and the veneers will
start to stain when your patient gets home. With the glaze intact,
porcelain is very resistant to stain. |
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Don't use an ultrasonic scaler on
teeth with porcelain veneers. You'll tend to nick and chip the margins.
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Use a gentle prophy paste. An
aluminum oxide paste like Cosmedent's Enamelize is perfect. If you
don't want to use that, at least stay away from coarse pumice polishing
pastes. |
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Be careful with heavy-duty scalers on
the margins. They can also cause nicks and chips.
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Other related information you may want
to check out:
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Check our referral page for a list of
cosmetic dentists
screened for proper training in providing expert porcelain veneers.
Porcelain veneer techniques and smile design are not generally taught in
dental schools to general dentists—a dentist needs extra post-graduate training to deliver this
level of care. The dentists on our referral list are all artists and have had that extra training.
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E-mail Dr. Hall if you have any other questions about
porcelain veneers. |
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Check our porcelain veneers page for more information about what porcelain veneers can do for you.
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If you have questions about
whitening toothpaste, we have the answers.
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Click here to see
porcelain veneer pictures
featuring the beautiful work by some of the expert cosmetic dentists we
recommend on mynewsmile.com. |
See the Cosmetic Dentistry Blog where
Dr. Hall answers a question about
porcelain veneer maintenance
for a visitor.
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The listings below are paid advertisements and should not be confused with the recommended dentists we list in our "find a cosmetic dentist" section:
Care of Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain Veneer Procedure
Porcelain Veneer Photos
Porcelain Veneer Pictures
Extreme Makeovers
Maintaining the work
GlamSmile |
