Taking Care Of Your New Dental Veneers
Maintenance tips from your Burton dentist.
Because porcelain can’t suffer from decay like a natural tooth, it may be tempting for those who have had dental veneers fitted to pay less attention when cleaning them. However, this would be a mistake and could cause problems for the veneers, to say nothing of the natural part of your teeth.
So the same rules apply whether you have veneers or not; clean well and don’t neglect flossing either using traditional floss or an inter-dental brush. The gum line should also be cleaned to remove any plaque which can be a precursor to gum disease if neglected.
Failure to keep the teeth and gums clean can have a negative effect both on your teeth and on your veneers too.
Tooth decay
It should go without saying that although the veneer itself won’t deteriorate, the rest of your natural tooth is still prone to tooth decay if not kept clean. Not only can this lead to toothache, but any treatment that is needed to restore the tooth may affect its shape, and hence the security of the veneer.
Gum disease
Gum disease threatens not only your new veneers but your natural tooth too. Whilst early gum disease can be treated very effectively, if neglected it can progress and start to degrade the bone which supports your teeth, causing them to become loose and potentially fall out. Keeping your gums clean is relatively simple though, with good personal care as well as regular visits to our Burton hygienist.
Be aware
Because dental veneers are both realistic looking and comfortable to wear, it can be easy to forget that you are wearing them. Whilst there are positive aspects to this, and veneers should cope with everyday use, some people have a habit of biting their fingernails, pencils or the like which can cause a veneer to become detached from the teeth. In the event that this does happen, it is important that you do not attempt to reattach them yourself. Unfortunately, some patients have attempted to do so using strong household adhesives which are actually corrosive and can damage the veneers as well as your natural teeth. Please don’t do this! Instead contact Mike Allen Dental in Burton immediately and we will advise.
Your veneers should last for around ten years, or even more if you take good care of them and just a little extra attention to good oral hygiene could help you to keep your new smile for a long time indeed.
For more information about dental veneers or any other cosmetic dental treatment that we offer at our Burton practice, please call Mike Allen Dental Practice on 01283 845345 to arrange a consultation with one of our dental team.