Dental Veneers and Oral Hygiene
Dental veneers have been all the rage since Hollywood celebrities with otherwise unsightly smiles have undergone the procedure with spectacular results. Perhaps you’ve considered foregoing the wait time with orthodontia to instead transform your smile in as little as two appointments. Veneers can fix a number of abnormalities that would traditionally be treated with braces, such as tooth gaps or misaligned teeth. They also serve as a permanent treatment to tooth discoloration, since porcelain is resistant to staining. The veneers can give your smile a natural, uniform look, making it appear as if you never suffered from dental abnormalities.
The installation of veneers, while seemingly uncomplicated, can be seriously jeopardized if performed by an inept cosmetic dentist. The first step in the preparation process involves the removal of tooth enamel from the existing teeth. The removal of tooth structure helps to not only accommodate the thickness of veneers, but also provides them with a coarse surface to bond to. This enamel can never be restored and as such patients are often encouraged to consider their decision carefully. The introduction of a special kind of veneers known as Lumineers has eliminated the need for enamel removal in certain cases, so that may be an option to explore. Once the teeth have been reduced to the appropriate size, a mold is taken that will be used by a laboratory to manufacture your set of veneers. They are installed during your second appointment after the teeth are etched and a bonding solution is applied to the veneers. In the meantime, your teeth will be covered with temporaries to prevent dental decay as well as to reduce sensitivity.
Oral hygiene is of tremendous importance once your veneers have been successfully installed. You should go about brushing and flossing as you’ve done the past. Your cosmetic dentist should have removed any excess bonding agent that may have seeped from the sides of the veneers during installation, making it easy to floss. If not, be sure to alert him or her of the oversight, as the bonding agent can stain. It’s also of great importance that you are more selective when shopping for toothpaste. Any toothpaste of an overly abrasive nature may slowly eat away at the surface of the veneers, reduce gloss and thus rendering them more unnatural looking. There are many specialty toothpastes designed specifically for restorations, such as Supersmile toothpaste.
Since tooth enamel is designed to act as a barrier between your teeth and the rest of your mouth, you need to be particularly careful now that you have much less of it. When sugar enters the mouth, it causes a considerable drop in pH or acidity, which leads to demineralization of the teeth. The longer these acidic conditions prolong for, the higher the risk of developing dental decay. Anyone with dental veneers should seriously consider limiting their intake of sweets and processed food that can cause caries to develop. Any signs of sensitivity to heat and cold should be immediately reported to your dentist. Regular checkups and cleanings are strongly recommended, so that if decay begins to develop, it can be caught early and treated.
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