Both adults and teens want to get porcelain veneers because of the way they brighten your smile. While composite veneers are known for being durable, porcelain veneers give you an even whiter smile. In order to keep the porcelain veneers in good shape, it is important to practice good dental care habits. This is especially important when you are getting them as a teenager. Bad oral care habits can result in a bacterial infection. Getting rid of the infection will result in more painful dental work. Luckily, there a few maintenance tips you can adopt to keep your porcelain veneers bacteria free as a teen.
Use a Water Flosser Around the Veneers
Since porcelain veneers are adhered to the surface of your tooth, they can attract bacteria buildup where the veneer and tooth meet. This often happens around the gum line and seeps behind the veneer. This debris is more difficult to clean with just a toothbrush. Instead, you need to enlist the help of a water flosser. This type of flossing device can clean around the gum line without aggravating the veneer or gums. The pressure from the flosser will dislodge buildup and keep your natural teeth and veneers clean. A water flosser should be used after meals in order to get the best benefits from the device.
Keep Your Favorite Sticky Foods to a Minimum
If some of your favorite foods are sticky and hard to chew, then they can be damaging your veneers. Sticky foods are difficult to remove from the surface of your normal teeth and are even harder to pull off of porcelain veneers. If all of the food is not carefully removed, then it hardens on the veneer and near the gum line. This creates plaque and will eventually result in tartar or an infection. Enjoying your favorite taffy candy every once in a while is fine. However, indulging in this type of food every day will quickly destroy your veneers. If you do eat sticky foods, then the best way to completely remove them is by brushing your teeth for a few minutes and following with an antibacterial rinse. The rinse should sit in your mouth for a few minutes before you spit it out.
Following proper dental care tips can go a long way in making sure that your porcelain veneers are healthy enough to last another year. Therefore, use these tips to make sure that your veneers remain infection free. Contact your local dental office for more advice.
Share13 January 2017
Do you have "bad teeth"? I do. Ever since I was a kid, every checkup turns up a number of issues ranging from cavities to dental fractures. It has always been frustrating to keep my smile in decent shape, which is one of the reasons I started focusing on understanding different dental problems. I wanted to know what I was getting into when I visited the doctor, so I began focusing on learning as much as I could. I wanted to create this blog all about dentistry so that other people could find out what to expect when they head to the dentist. Check it out!
