How to take care of porcelain veneers? This is a question commonly asked by people who have just gotten porcelain veneers or are about to get them.
Dental veneers are a significant investment in your smile. You pay money to get them, but that’s not where your responsibility and/or investment ends; in fact, the actual responsibility begins ‘after’ you get the treatment done. What we mean is you need to take care of your veneers on a daily basis as an extended investment if you want your new smile to last long and retain its charm.
In this blog, we’ll tell you how to take care of porcelain veneers by walking you through a step-by-step daily routine.
What Are Porcelain Veneers, And Why Are They Used?
Let’s first brush up on our basic understanding of porcelain veneers before discussing the daily care routine.
Porcelain veneers is a modern dental cosmetic treatment in which fine, thin and lightweight shells of dental grade porcelain are bonded to the exterior front surfaces of your teeth to enhance their appearance.
It’s most commonly indicated to conceal aesthetic flaws in teeth, such as stubborn stains, chips, craze lines, enamel erosion, discoloration, etc. However, this treatment has a slight functional element to it, too – it can also be done to fix minor functional issues too like occlusal irregularities, gaps in teeth, crookedness, etc. The aesthetic and functional enhancement brought on by porcelain veneers collectively gives your imperfect teeth a seemingly perfect appearance while also bettering your chewing function and overall dental functionality.
Dental grade porcelain is used in the making of veneers because of its special light-emitting property, which gives it a lustrous and milky appearance, very similar to the appearance of natural teeth enamel.
Also, its mechanical properties make it pretty resistant to chips and cracks (the strength of the material helps it withstand the constant chewing and biting forces in the mouth without chipping or cracking despite the thinness of the shells), making it an appropriate choice for veneer treatment.
How Are Porcelain Veneers Placed?
The placement process of porcelain veneers is quite easy, pain-free, and quick.
Basically, a thin amount of enamel is first scraped off from the front surface of the teeth (only from those teeth that will have veneers bonded to them. In case you’re getting veneers on all of your teeth, in both the upper and lower arches, then all of your teeth will have a tiny amount of enamel scraped off of them).
This scraping off of enamel is crucial to smoothening out the teeth’s surfaces and making space for the bonding of porcelain veneers on them. It’s performed with great caution so as to not cause the teeth to become sensitive in case too much enamel is removed. Old fillings are also removed and replaced with new fillings.
After that, impressions of your teeth will be taken and a mold will be created to be sent to the lab for the preparation of custom-made porcelain shells. Special care will be taken to get the shade, size, texture, and shape of the shells to match those of the existing teeth and the aesthetic goals of the patient.
Finally, porcelain shells are bonded to the prepared teeth with the help of special adhesives and bonding agents.
7-Step Daily Care Routine For Porcelain Veneers
Now that you’ve built your foundational understanding of porcelain veneers, their indications for use, and their placement process, you can finally shift your attention to the maintenance and care aspect.
Here’s an easy-to-follow, step-by-step care routine for porcelain veneers that you can follow on a daily basis:
- Step#1: After your morning breakfast, brush your teeth thoroughly with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a non-abrasive fluoride toothpaste. Make sure to cover all the surfaces of your teeth, cleaning the veneers thoroughly for at least 2 minutes. Don’t brush roughly or use toothpaste with harsh ingredients as it can potentially damage your veneers as the porcelain material is strong but not immune to damage.
- Step#2: Floss your teeth gently, covering all the interdental spaces so that food particles and plaque are removed.
- Step#3: Follow-up with a 30 second alcohol free (this is important as alcohol can weaken the adhesives underneath the veneer and cause the veneers to loosen up) mouthwash rinse.
- Step#4: Have your afternoon lunch and evening snacks as usual, but make sure to rinse your mouth thoroughly with water or mouthwash afterward. Choose teeth-friendly snacks like vegetable salads or fruit bowls, and avoid munching on hard or sticky foods. Also, avoid consuming tea or other staining foods/beverages. If it’s a heavy meal, then brushing is preferred over just rinsing.
- Step#5: Keep your water intake optimum throughout the day so plaque and bacteria keep getting washed away from time to time.
- Step#6: After having dinner, brush your teeth and follow up with flossing and mouthwash rinse, exactly as you did after breakfast.
- Step#7: In case you suffer from teeth grinding or Bruxism, make sure to wear your night guard before you sleep to avoid damaging the veneers subconsciously through the night.
Extra Care Tips For Porcelain Veneers
Besides following our prescribed step-by-step daily care routine, here are a few things that you must take care of throughout your veneer journey:
Avoid activities that may be damaging to the integrity of your veneers or that may cause them to crack or chip. These include biting on hard or sharp objects, like ice cubes, fingernails, bottle caps, etc.
Visit your dentist every 6 months (or as prescribed by the dentist) to get your professional cleanings done and to ensure your veneers are free from any damage.
Conclusion
The beautiful dental transformation brought on by porcelain veneers needs care and maintenance on a daily basis so that it retains its charm and integrity. By following our easy-to-follow, step-by-step daily routine, you can provide your veneers the care that they deserve.
For more details about porcelain veneers, schedule a FREE consultation with FL Implant Clinic, a premium dental clinic based in Florida. Our team of veneer experts will assess your case in detail, paving your way to a seamless, beautiful, and he althy smile transformation!
