Foods to Avoid After Dental Veneers Are Placed

When you get dental veneers, you are making an investment. It is only fitting that you take care of your investment by maintaining the integrity and color of your veneers.

To help you maintain your new smile, this guide walks you through the different types of veneers and their properties, as well as the kinds of foods to avoid after you get a set of veneers.

The different types of dental veneers

Dental veneers are categorized by the material that goes into their fabrication. The most affordable type of veneer is made of composite resin. Composite veneers are not only affordable, they are also convenient. A dentist can make a set of composite veneers in their office, eliminating the wait time that occurs when dentists depend on dental labs to fabricate restorations. Though strong and versatile, composite veneers have the downside of being the least durable type of veneer.

Porcelain veneers are tougher and, by extension, more durable. They also have the texture, sheen, feel and translucency of natural teeth. Most kinds of porcelain veneers take two appointments to install, because many dentists depend on dental labs for the fabrication of this type of veneer. On this count, porcelain veneers are less convenient than their composite cousin.

That said, modern innovations now allow specially trained dentists to fabricate porcelain veneers as the patient waits.

Foods to avoid with composite veneers

The upside of composite resin is that it is putty-like and easy to work with. This is why dentists also use it to fill cavities. The porous nature of composite resin makes it more vulnerable to staining, especially when compared to porcelain. To preserve the white color of composite resin, the wearer should:

• Minimize the intake of colored drink like red wine, caffeine and cranberry juice
• Minimize the intake of colored foods
• Give up smoking
• Remember to rinse the mouth whenever they eat foods that could stain their veneers

It is worth noting that recent innovations allow dentists to coat composite resin with nanofillers that reduce the porosity of veneers. To keep the composite resin from breaking apart, a person should also avoid hard foods like nuts, hard candy, ice chips, tough meat and chewy candy.

Foods to avoid with porcelain veneers

Porcelain veneers are tougher and more stain-resistant than composite veneers. That does not mean that they are indestructible. A person with a brand-new set of veneers should minimize their intake of:

• Nuts, chewy meat, hard candy and any other hard foods that can cause breakage
• Wine, coffee, dark teas, soda and any other drinks that can cause staining
• Sticky candies like caramel, which can pull the veneers loose

Find out how dental veneers can make your smile brighter

You can do this by calling our offices to set up an appointment with our cosmetic dentist. If dental veneers are an option for you, they will walk you through every step of the process.

Request an appointment here: or call Gilroy Dental Associates at (408) 842-2818 for an appointment in our Gilroy office.

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