What habits should I avoid with veneers?

With porcelain veneers, our cosmetic dentist can make having the smile of your dreams a reality. These custom-made cosmetic enhancements produce a flaw-free smile that compliments your oral anatomy and your facial features. Veneers are an investment so it’s wise to know how to care for them and what habits you should avoid so that you can enjoy your new smile for years to come.

Following are habits to avoid if your smile is enhanced with porcelain veneers.

Drinking Without a Straw

If you have veneers, drinking beverages that can stain with a straw is a great idea. While veneers themselves are resistant to staining, the backsides of your teeth can stain, which will make your veneers appear darker. Using a straw to drink stain-causing beverages helps push liquids to the back of your mouth and away from your teeth.

Eating Very Sticky and Hard Foods

Foods such as taffy or beef jerky could harm your veneers over time by weakening the bonding material that cements them to your teeth. The biting motions needed to tear into these foods could damage your veneers.

Chewing Ice Cubes

Chewing ice is a no-no with or without veneers. Chewing ice cubes could break veneers and/or your biological teeth. If you chew on ice cubes it’s best to commit to breaking this habit as soon as possible.

Drinking Alcohol in Excess

Frequent alcohol consumption can damage your veneers and your teeth. There are countless reasons to moderate alcohol consumption for your oral health and your overall wellness. When you do drink something alcoholic, use a straw.

Using Your Teeth as Tools

Biting into plastic to open packaging or using your teeth to open a bottle is a destructive habit that could cause painful and permanent damage to your teeth. This habit could easily break veneers, too. We strongly encourage patients to break this habit.

Porcelain veneers are a versatile treatment option. Call our practice to schedule a smile makeover with our cosmetic dentist.