3 Tips For Keeping Your New Dental Veneers In Good Shape For Years

If you are considering obtaining dental veneers from your local cosmetic dentist or have already invested in a set of new, beautiful pearly whites, then it is important to know that proper care of dental veneers is a must to keep them in great shape for many years. While the average dental veneer lasts about 10 to 15 years before needing to be repaired or replaced, proper care can help them stay in great shape longer. 

1. Avoid Beverages That Can Stain Your Teeth

If you haven't obtained your dental veneers yet, then you want to choose wisely between porcelain and composite resin veneers. While porcelain veneers are very resistant to stains, composite resin veneers stain more easily. Unfortunately, you cannot whiten composite resin veneers after they have become stained, so if you choose them, then you need to be sure to avoid drinking beverages that stain your teeth or at least keep your consumption of them to a minimum.

Beverages that stain teeth easily include coffee, tea, and wine. 

If you smoke cigarettes and do not want to kick the habit after you obtain your veneers, then you should choose porcelain veneers since cigarette smoke can also stain composite resin veneers.

2. Limit Consumption of Super-hard Foods

While dental veneers are very strong, they can break just as natural teeth can. Biting down on a hard food that could break a natural tooth can also break or crack a dental veneer. If the veneer doesn't break or crack, it could come loose and need to be replaced. This makes it important to avoid biting down on hard foods, such as hard candy, when you have dental veneers. 

Porcelain veneers tend to be much more durable than composite resin veneers, so if you choose composite resin veneers, be sure to be extra careful to avoid hard foods, since they can break a bit more easily than porcelain veneers. 

If you do crack or break a veneer, then it is important to know that your veneer may be able to be repaired instead of replaced, depending on how damaged it is. That makes it important to save it if it comes loose or save the portion that broke off and bring it to your cosmetic dentist. 

3. Don't Use Abrasive or Whitening Toothpaste

If you typically use a toothpaste that contains an abrasive, such as baking soda, or then realize you will have to switch to a toothpaste that is not abrasive when brushing your veneers. Abrasive toothpaste can scratch your veneers, leading to you needing full replacements sooner than expected. 

You should also avoid using whitening toothpaste when you have dental veneers, especially those that contain hydrogen peroxide because they can damage your veneers and the bonding material used to adhere them to your teeth. 

If you will soon be obtaining dental veneers from a local cosmetic dentistry office or have already invested in a new set of pearly whites, then keep these three tips in mind to keep them in great shape for many years.