woman smiling with her new veneers

How To Properly Clean Your Dental Veneers

Getting your veneers fitted perfectly and having them installed by a skilled dentist, similar to this dentist in port st lucie fl, is just part of the entire veneer process. To ensure your smile remains vibrant, beautiful, and long-lasting, you need to know the proper techniques for taking care of the veneers. Cleaning veneers properly can be why you have a picture-perfect smile for decades to come. Not performing adequate maintenance will risk embarrassing photographs, teeth/gum discomfort, or even permanently damaging your veneers. We wanted to list things that all veneer patients need to read, memorize, and abide by to get the most out of their beautiful, new smiles! See your dentist or visit your local general dentistry clinic if you experience pain or discomfort after getting veneers installed.

Keep Your Smile Clean

Just because you have veneers doesn’t mean you can’t practice good hygiene. You’ll need to take care of your porcelain veneers as if they were your natural, homegrown chompers. Brush your teeth and veneers after every meal, just like you were taught as a child. Though your veneers can’t technically succumb to decay, your teeth under the veneers can definitely still decay. Both the tooth and the veneer can discolor and get tainted by neglect. The last thing you want is gum disease and gingivitis. With gingivitis comes ruined veneers, tooth pain and discomfort, and bad breath!

Don’t Over Do It

Be gentle when you brush your veneers. Many people think they need to scrub their investments as though their lives depended on it, which isn’t the case. Try to use a toothbrush that is designated as “soft.” Soft toothbrushes will help promise you’ll not pull the veneer from the teeth. Brushing too hard will result in pressing the gums down away from the teeth. Receding gum lines will negatively affect both the teeth and the veneers because gum support is essential for long-lasting veneers.

Lose the Bad Habits

Smoking lowers the average lifespan by 8 to 13 years. Abusing alcohol increases the chance of stroke and heart attack. And on top of those alarming stats, smoking and using alcohol is a great way to abuse your veneers. Veneers aren’t unlike your regular teeth. They can be stained, and they can be damaged, and they need to be taken care of. Alcohol will wear away at the chemical compound holding the veneers together, while tobacco will stain the veneers to make them look rotted and sometimes can lead to streaking or cracking.

Watch What You Eat!

This may actually be the most important bit of advice that we’ve got for our clients with veneers. Please, please, please watch what you eat! Don’t eat the super-duper sticky candies, and stay away from the very sugary sodas. Walk right by the lemons and limes in the grocery store. Veneers, specifically the adhesive material, are sensitive to citric foods like lemons, limes, grapefruits, and certain tomatoes. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a lemon-basted fish dinner! Just don’t suck on overly acidic fruits unless you want your veneers to fall out of your head.

Be Smart

Try to be reasonable. Think of porcelain veneers as very fragile teeth. Don’t abuse them. Clean your teeth and veneers just as you always did or should have. Don’t let food sit in your teeth and veneers. Don’t suck on a lemon after chewing the hardest, chewiest candies. Remember, consulting with a dentist such as dentist in downtown Chicago is essential for proper care and guidance.

Savannah Dental Solutions is a leading dental care provider in Savannah, GA. Whether you need teeth cleaning, cosmetic dental work, crowns, dentures, or other common dental care services, Savannah Dental Solutions will treat you like family and ensure you get top-notch care for a fair price.