So you’ve just got your porcelain veneers. As with any dental treatment, it is important to understand that the treatment is a life-long decision. The treatment cannot be undone if you change your mind. So, how do you look after your porcelain veneers so you get the most life out of them?
Your Porcelain Veneers are beautiful works of art that need to be looked after to ensure they are at their best for many years to come! This is a joint effort between you and your dentist.
You may be issued with an appliance (such as a splint or retainer) to be used at night. This is important for 2 reasons:
1) To prevent any accidental damage to your veneers during sleep – everyone grinds their teeth at some stage! Teeth grinding is a natural thing that everyone does to some degree. You may be going through a stressful period in life, there may be something your are anxious of, or you may simply be having difficulty sleeping.
When we are awake, we are usually sensible enough to notice any clenching or grinding and are able to stop it before doing too much damage. This is different at night. People hardly realise they have been grinding until its too late. Typically grinding happens during the REM phase or sleep, and you may wake up feeling some tension or just feel like you did have a great night’s sleep.
2) To prevent any drifting of your teeth over time – even adult teeth have a tendency to move as we get older! Our muscles, lip tone, tongue space, and jaw bone is constantly changing as we get older. This causes the teeth to drift around. Over time, your perfectly straight teeth will be not so straight. Wearing an dental device will help keep your teeth in place.
Good oral hygiene is extremely important for your veneers. Though the veneers are extremely smooth and feel very clean, it is important that you continue to brush your teeth (at least) twice daily, and floss daily. This prevents stains from developing where the veneers bond onto the teeth. It also helps prevent decay from developing under your veneers – yes this can happen if you don’t look after your teeth!
If teeth whitening is part of your treatment, please ensure you follow the whitening maintenance protocol to make sure everything looks their best.
From here, it’s regular dental maintenance of your teeth and veneers. Please ensure that you come for your regular 6 monthly visits. Your dentist will likely take x-rays of your veneers periodically to make sure all is sound underneath. Contact us today for a consultation.
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