People are attracted to those who appear approachable and friendly. Whether you’re meeting someone for the first time for a business engagement, interviewing with a college university, or finally seeing the person you’ve been anxious to go out with.
These people will immediately base their impression on your smile. If you try to hide teeth that you’re not particularly proud of, your perceived lack of enthusiasm will set the tone for the interaction.
When your teeth present a problem, maybe misaligned, with a few gaps or discolored, it leaves you self-conscious about smiling and diminishes your confidence.
Fortunately, with vast innovations in cosmetic dentistry in recent years, individuals have the opportunity to change their natural teeth in a way that makes them feel more self-assured. A practical method many cosmetic dentists are incorporating is dental veneers. Go to https://www.mouthhealthy.org/ways-to-improve-smile/ for guidance on improving your smile.
These effectively cover imperfections and enhance each tooth’s overall appearance. Let’s learn about dental veneers.
What Are Porcelain Veneers
A smile is your chance to make a memorable first impression. When you’re uncomfortable with the condition of your teeth, the feeling that you convey could be misunderstood. You don’t have to suffer from low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.
Cosmetic dentists are privy to numerous advances in their industry to assist people with less-than-perfect teeth. One such solution that’s exceptionally effective in covering imperfections is the porcelain veneer.
The material covers the tooth to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Veneers are commonly either porcelain or composite. You might question, “are porcelain veneers expensive.” Compared to composite, the porcelain is the more expensive of the two, but they also lost considerably longer, as great as 10 + years, when cared for adequately.
A porcelain veneer is tailored to the individual and will address the dental concerns that person faces. Some problems that porcelain veneers can improve include:
- Altering teeth size
- Whitening teeth that have become discolored
- Aligning teeth
- Filling teeth gaps
- Fixing enamel chips or cracks
How Do You Care For Porcelain Veneers
When you have porcelain veneers applied over your teeth, that’s not an indication that you can stop standard oral hygiene. In fact, these need the same care you would render to natural teeth; these are challenging to distinguish from the real thing. Consider these suggestions.
Good oral hygiene is just as important, if not more so
Teeth should never be neglected, but with porcelain veneers, care is vital to avoid the potential for damage. The maintenance will be reminiscent of the oral hygiene you provide to your natural teeth beginning with brushing. The only difference with the brushing process is that you’ll use a soft bristle for your toothbrush.
The recommendation from cosmetic dental providers is that teeth be brushed at least two times each day and for two minutes each session. In addition, you should rinse thoroughly following meals. There’s a common misconception that you should brush and then floss, but in reality, the flossing needs to come first.
Once you brush, rinse away the food particles and bacteria with an antiseptic mouth rinse as the final step.
Bruxism needs to be addressed
Bruxism is a habit that many people engage in when asleep, grinding their teeth. It’s not something most can control on their own, but it is something to address with a dentist to try to gain control. It does significant damage to natural teeth and will be harsh on veneers.
A cosmetic dentist will fit you for a tailor-made retainer to wear at night to prevent the occurrence of grinding. Continued use will protect the porcelain veneers and offer extended longevity.
During the daytime, you’ll need to make a concerted effort to try to catch yourself and stop the behavior as much as possible.
Staining foods will discolor natural teeth
Unless you have a full mouth of porcelain veneers, it’s important to refrain from indulging in foods and beverages that will stain natural teeth. The porcelain prevents the surfaces from staining, but you want to avoid some staining if you have a combination of porcelain veneers and natural teeth.
Foods and beverages responsible for discoloration include coffee, berries, soy sauce, wines, marinara, and on. These will lead to yellowing with the probability of needing a whitening to keep the teeth uniform.
Teeth should only be used for chewing
Some people habitually use their teeth to tear packages or even open bottles that are hard to turn. No one should use their teeth to bite down on anything other than food, whether natural teeth or porcelain veneers.
With veneers, these can break away from the tooth’s surface or come unglued if you apply incredible force by biting down on something unusually hard or too tough for teeth to handle.
Instead of dealing with a broken natural tooth or veneers that come unglued or break, refrain from using teeth as tools or consuming exceptionally hard foods, like hard pieces of candy, peanut brittle.