How To Take Care of Composite Veneers

If you want to improve the appearance of your smile but do not want to undergo any significant invasive procedure, then composite veneers are a fantastic option. 

These are thin resin coverings custom-made to fit your natural teeth’ color, size, and shape. Your dentist bonds these shells on the surface of your tooth to correct teeth issues such as discolorations, chips, cracks, misalignment, gaps, etc.

Composite veneers are made of tooth-colored resin (a plastic material), and your dentist would shape them directly on your tooth. They are less expensive than porcelain laminates and have a lifespan of two to five years. 

If you want to learn how to keep your dental laminates in good shape for a longer time, this article will give you all the tips you need.

Details Of Composite Veneers

These resin laminates are a type of dental restoration technique that uses safe materials to repair or cover dental imperfections.

• It is a thin piece of resin that is shaped and applied to your tooth for various purposes, such as changing teeth color, correcting teeth alignment, and improving the shape of your teeth.
• There are two types of composite veneers:
• Direct resin laminates – In this process, the resin is applied directly to your tooth. It requires less time for your dentist to prepare your teeth for the application of direct laminates. It is a minimally invasive method.
• Indirect resin laminates – It differs from direct laminates in the manner of application, not the material used. Here the veneers are custom-made indirectly, i.e., outside of your mouth (in a dental laboratory or the dentist’s office). 

Till the time your laminates are ready, your dentist will give you temporary veneers, and in your next appointment, s/he will apply the indirect laminate on your teeth with the use of dental adhesive. 

These veneers are more resistant to fractures and abrasions compared to direct laminates. However, they are also more expensive.

Tips To Make Your Composite Veneers Last Long

The durability of resin dental laminates has increased over the years, and they can last you between five to seven years, depending on how you maintain them. A few things you must follow while wearing composite veneers are:

• How you brush and floss – ADA (American Dental Association) recommends that we must brush our teeth for two minutes twice a day (with fluoride toothpaste) and floss once. If we do not follow the recommendations, the dental laminates will wear out sooner than expected. You must also ensure you are using a toothbrush with soft bristles and not brushing too hard to keep your laminates in excellent shape.
• Food that you eat – If you chew or bite on hard foods like candy, the laminate could crack or fracture, and you would need to go for a replacement. Try to avoid highly pigmented foods such as coffee, red wine, tea, and certain alcohol. Like your natural teeth, composite veneers are also prone to staining if you consume such foods or drinks.
• Frequency of having sugary or acidic foods – Sugary food causes tooth decay, especially if you do not brush your teeth after every meal that is high in sugar. Acidic foods like soda also damage your laminates if left for a long period in the mouth. It is advised that you rinse your mouth thoroughly after intake of such foods or drinks to minimize the harm that they can do to your veneers.
• Quit smoking – Tobacco can impact the composite bonding that attaches your veneer to your teeth and can cause unsightly stains. Smoking also has many other adverse effects on your dental health, as it can damage bones in your teeth, gums, and natural teeth. If your mouth is unhealthy due to smoking, you would require extra effort to maintain your dental laminates as they may fall out due to weak oral structure or need to be removed to restore the underlying tooth structure.
• Take measures if you grind your teeth – Many of us suffer from bruxism or teeth grinding. We can control grinding our teeth during the day, but it also happens at night when we are asleep, which makes it challenging to manage the composite veneers. You should talk to your dentist to address this issue, who can suggest effective solutions, for instance, nighttime mouthguards.

Conclusion 

Composite veneers are a cheap and effective procedure to restore your pearly whites and correct imperfections. But they need to be maintained so that you can have your shiny smile for a longer time. 

Apart from all the tips mentioned in this article, it is also essential that you keep up your regular dental appointments so that any problem can be detected early on and your dentist can take proactive measures to rectify them.