Cosmetic Dentistry -- Caring For Your Veneers

Veneers are those beautiful, bright facades you get during a cosmetic dentistry procedure that gp on the outer enamel of a tooth. Usually, the person choosing to get veneers wants more than one tooth done. The teeth most often chosen by people are the front bridge--the four to six main teeth on the upper row. Depending on the size and shape of the teeth, the patient may be choosing the teeth for a stronger, straighter smile or for other reasons.

The important thing for people with veneers to know is that they generally will not last a lifetime. Most people can expect to have their veneers replaced after fifteen or twenty years. Sometimes this date can come sooner and sometimes the date will be much later. A lot of the longevity depends on the person's overall health, eating and smoking habits and the quality of the veneer itself.

If you have veneers and you are a generally healthy person, you can expect to be on the high end of longevity. Your teeth depend on you brushing and flossing regularly. In order for the veneers to continue to look natural, you need to pay particular attention to your gums. Gum disease causing a swollen, red or receding gum line can cause your veneers to look particularly exposed. If you are into keeping your cosmetic dentistry a secret, then take care of your health and the health of your gums.

Eating and smoking habits definitely play a part in the longevity of your smile. If you are a smoker, you can expect your veneers to fade and look less beautiful the longer you smoke. Although veneers tend to stain at a slower rate than regular tooth enamel, they will stain eventually. Smoking in particular will expedite this staining. Eating staining foods or biting into hard candies can hurt your veneers. Nothing looks worse or can be more painful than a chipped veneer. You will need to make a cosmetic dentistry appointment right away to cover it up.

Cosmetic dentistry provides a solution for a lot of people wanting to straighten the look of their smile. Some people choose to work on their smile using braces and retainers. Others work on the straightness of their smile with bridges, veneers and dentures. It is important in today's social media engaged society to have a clean-cut image. Part of that image has to do with the smile and how bright or straight it appears to be.

When you make the decision to have veneers placed on your teeth, your dentist will take the time to go through all of the upkeep essentials with you. They will let you know what food and behaviors to avoid and how long you can expect the veneers to last.

If you are interested in veneers or other forms of cosmetic dentistry, don't hesitate to make an appointment with your dentist. If they don't do cosmetics in their office, chances are they can refer you to a dentist that does. It is an exciting and life-changing step and your practitioner will want to assist you if they can.