Distinctive Dentistry at Broken Top Bend Dentistry Services

Maintaining Your Porcelain Veneers

porcelain veneers Bend Central Oregon After

Your beautiful smile with porcelain veneers is a fine investment in yourself. However, because porcelain is not genuine enamel, it does not react identically to the same treatment. Dr Mingus will have valuable insights into keeping your porcelain Veneersin great condition and your smile looking beautiful.

Some typical professional maintenance procedures that are used on natural teeth or metal restorations can actually ruin the beauty of all ceramic or composite esthetic work. Verify that anyone working on your veneers understands the difference

Power polishing equipment, such as the Prophy-Jet® creates a powerful spray of sodium bicarbonate that cleans natural teeth wonderfully will roughen the surface of porcelain or composite and make it stain more easily. Although it will look great at the end of the appointment, it will deteriorate rapidly in a few weeks.

Regular pumice polish, routinely used by hygienists to remove the protein pellicle layer from teeth, will scratch composite bonding and porcelain veneers. The pumice will scratch and erode the composite that holds the veneer to the tooth and cause it to deteriorate prematurely. Hygienists should use a fine aluminum oxide polishing agent to polish cosmetic dental work.

Attention must be given to the kind of fluoride treatments used. Tehre are some hygienists and dentists that don't understand the difference between how acidulated and neutral fluoride affects cosmetic work. The acid in acidulated fluoride is hydrofluoric acid, wthat etches porcelain and the tiny glass particles in many composites, thereby making them more susceptible to staining. and possibly removing the color from some porcelain crowns! Any fluoride treatment done after cosmetic dental work shoule be done with a neutral fluoride. It isn't as strong, but it will protect your investment in dental work.

Ultrasonic scalers, if used at the margins of porcelain or composite cosmetic work, can chip the margin and make the tooth more susceptible to recurrent decay.

If a porcelain crown or bonding does get looking lackluster or starts staining, there are polishing techniques that can bring the luster back. A dentist or hygienist specially trained in cosmetic work can bring the shine back.

Most recommend extra maintenance polishing appointments - two per year - to keep the shine at its maximum, especially at the critical bond area between the tooth and the veneer.

Home Care for your Porcelain Veneers

Here's your list of "do's" and "don'ts" for home care of your Porcelain Veneers:

The biggest "no-no" is heavy, frequent alcohol consumption. If you consume large quantities of alcohol daily, the alcohol tends to dissolve bonding or the composite luting material that holds the porcelain to the tooth. Within a period of a couple of years, you could completely ruin the dental work. So, watch your alcohol consumption. Moderate amounts won't have a noticeable effect. Beware, also, of alcohol-containing mouthwashes. Read the list of ingredients on any mouthwash.

Regular toothpastes can be too abrasive for cosmetic dental work. We recommend Supersmile® toothpaste, because it is very gentle - it removes stains by dissolving them rather than by physical abrasive action. See our page on this site about Supersmile® toothpaste. Rembrandt® toothpaste has an aluminum oxide abrasive that is very gentle and is also safe for any cosmetic dental work.

Don't subject your teeth to sharp impacts or hard objects. Don't bite pins, nails, or staples. Don't grind your teeth. If you tend to grind at night, get a nightguard to protect your teeth. If you engage in contact sports, wear an appropriate athletic mouthguard.

Floss and brush your teeth carefully. While the porcelain or bonding work is immune to decay, the part of your teeth not covered by the cosmetic work is still susceptible to decay. Keep it clean and it will stay decay-free and protect your investment.

Watch your frequency of eating. If you are a snacker, you will tend to develop heavy plaque and thus will tend to get more decay. The best thing you can do to prevent decay, the deterioration of your teeth and the dental work, is to limit your eating to your basic three meals a day and maybe a couple of snacks.

Distinctive Dentistry at Broken Top Bend Dentistry Services Maintaining Your Porcelain Veneers

Home Care for your Porcelain Veneers

Distinctive Dentistry at Broken Top Bend Dentistry Services

Maintaining Your Porcelain Veneers