Veneers are thin covers that are bonded on the exterior of your teeth to give them a fuller, brighter look. They can be made of dental porcelain or composite, and a special cement is used to fit them on the surface of the teeth.
The main purpose of dental veneers is to give the patient more pleasant looking teeth, for which the color of the veneers can be chosen to be brighter than the natural teeth. However, this decision must be made beforehand, as veneers won’t respond to whitening treatments.
As mentioned before, veneers won’t respond to whitening treatments, whether they are made of composite or porcelain. When they are fitted, our Oak Park dentist will match their color to the color of the natural teeth you have at that moment.
If you were to apply a teeth whitening treatment after getting veneers, only your natural teeth would whiten, creating a contrast against the artificial veneers. If you want a whitening treatment after getting veneers, you will have to replace them as well with brighter ones.
Porcelain veneers don’t stain, because the material is non-porous and extremely durable. They are slightly translucent and will reflect light as healthy, natural teeth do. However, if you opted for composite veneers, they can get stained just as natural teeth do.
In case you have composite resin veneers, you will have to avoid foods and drinks that could stain the material. Quitting smoking is good for your overall health, and will prevent a lot of staining. Skipping coffee, red wine, berries, black tea, cola, or soy sauce is also a good idea.
If you don’t want to cut certain foods or beverages from your diet, make sure to rinse your mouth immediately after consuming them and to have top-notch oral hygiene.
As said before, whitening treatments will not work on veneers. However, you can remove surface stains and give your veneers a better look by using polishing toothpaste, getting them professionally cleaned, or undergoing a replacement procedure.
Quitting smoking and avoiding staining foods as much as you can is the best thing you can do for keeping your veneers shiny and white.
If you are interested in getting veneers or you would like them to look better, book an appointment with our brilliant team of doctors at Murphy Dental Group, PLLC. We provide patients in the Oak Park area with excellent service and state-of-the-art treatments for brighter, healthier smiles.
Contact us to be seen by one of our doctors and we will give you all the information you need about getting veneers or repairing them, or anything else you need for pristine oral health.