Caring for porcelain veneers: a simple daily routine

Porcelain veneers are strong and resist staining well, but they still depend on healthy teeth and gums underneath. The good news is that caring for them looks a lot like caring for natural teeth. A simple daily routine, and letting go of a few risky habits, goes a long way toward keeping them looking their best.

Brushing: gentle and thorough

Brush twice a day for about two minutes with a soft-bristled toothbrush, manual or electric. Angle the bristles toward the gumline, where the edge of the veneer meets the tooth, and use small, gentle movements rather than hard scrubbing. Pressing hard doesn’t clean any better, and over time it can irritate the gums and encourage them to recede.

Choose a fluoride toothpaste that isn’t highly abrasive. Some whitening and stain-removing toothpastes are gritty enough to dull the glaze on porcelain over time, and they won’t lighten veneers anyway. If you’re unsure about a particular product, bring it up at your next visit.

Put together, a simple routine looks like this:

• Morning and night: brush for two minutes with a soft brush and a fluoride toothpaste.
• Once a day: floss or use interdental brushes, taking extra care along the gumline.
• After coffee, tea or red wine: a quick rinse with water.
• At night, if you grind or clench: wear the night guard you’ve been given.
• At every checkup: mention anything that feels rough, loose or different.

Flossing: where veneers need the most help

Veneers themselves don’t decay, but the natural tooth underneath still can, particularly along the edges. Flossing once a day removes plaque from between teeth and just below the gumline, where a brush can’t reach. Slide the floss gently between teeth, curve it around each one, and move it up and down rather than snapping it against the gums.

If regular floss is awkward, interdental brushes or a water flosser are reasonable alternatives for many people. The best tool is the one you’ll actually use every day, so it’s worth trying a few until one feels natural.

Veneers don’t decay, but the teeth beneath them can. Daily care protects both.

Habits worth dropping

Porcelain is hard but brittle, a little like fine china. It handles normal chewing well, but sudden, concentrated force can chip or crack it. These are the habits most worth letting go of:

• Chewing ice, hard candy or unpopped popcorn kernels.
• Biting pen caps, pencils or fingernails.
• Using your teeth to open packets, bottles or tape, or to hold things while your hands are busy.
• Biting straight into very hard foods with your front teeth. Cutting apples, carrots and crusty bread into pieces is kinder.

If you grind or clench your teeth, especially at night, mention it to your dentist. Grinding puts heavy, repeated pressure on veneers, and a custom night guard is often recommended to protect them. If you play contact sports, a mouthguard matters for the same reason.

None of this means being nervous about eating. Most everyday foods are perfectly fine. It’s the hard, sudden bites and the non-food habits that tend to cause trouble.

Staining, checkups and small problems

Porcelain itself resists staining well, but the bonding material at the edges and your natural teeth can still pick up color from coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco. Rinsing with water after dark drinks helps, and so does keeping up with regular cleanings. Over time, a difference in shade between veneers and neighboring natural teeth is often down to the natural teeth changing, not the porcelain. If you’d like your natural teeth lighter in the future, talk to the dentist before whitening, since veneers won’t change color along with them.

Regular checkups and professional cleanings matter just as much with veneers as without them. They give the dentist a chance to check the edges of each veneer, the health of your gums and the way your teeth meet when you bite. Let the hygienist know you have veneers so suitable polishing products can be used.

It also helps to pay attention to small changes between visits. A rough edge, a dark line near the gum, a change in how your bite feels or a veneer that seems to click or move are all worth mentioning, even if nothing hurts.

Have a question about your veneers or how to look after them? Call Artistic Dentistry at (610) 779-0911. A small question is always easier to answer early than a bigger problem is to fix later.