We’ve greatly improved the teeth in your smile zone with dental veneers, allowing you to finally flash a grin that dazzles with white, straight teeth. You love your results, and you want to know how long they will last. The answer to this question varies and depends a lot on how well you take care of your new dental veneers.
Our goal here at McLean Aura Dentistry is the same as yours — to preserve your beautiful smile. To that end, Drs. Negar Tehrani has pulled together a few tips for getting the most life out of your veneers.
Long-lasting veneers
To get right to the question about how long dental veneers last, we’re afraid we can’t give you a definitive answer. But we can tell you the materials we use (mainly porcelain) are quite strong and can hold up to the rigors of chewing for 15-20 years, or more.
This number, however, can vary depending upon how well you care for your veneers.
Tips for caring for your veneers
The porcelain we use to create your veneers is designed to fulfill both form and function roles. By function, we generally mean chewing and anything beyond that can damage your veneers. For example, if you routinely use your teeth as “tools” to open packages or bite your fingernails, you run the risk of shortening the lifespan of your veneers.
Another problem that might damage your veneers is bruxism — teeth grinding or clenching. If you have this problem, we recommend that you come see us so we can fit you with a mouthguard.
If you’re active and play sports, we’d also like for you to use a mouthguard to protect your teeth (and your veneers).
Finally, your real teeth are still behind your veneers, so you need to ensure you maintain their health by:
- Brushing at least twice a day
- Flossing once a day
- Rinsing regularly after meals
- Keeping up with your professional teeth cleanings with us
These measures are designed to keep tooth decay and gum disease at bay and to preserve the teeth upon which your veneers rest.
Coming to the end of your veneers
If your veneers are starting to break down, the good news is that we can fit you with replacement veneers quite easily. You simply come see us, and we make impressions as we did before.
When your veneers are ready, we remove the old ones and bond your new ones to your teeth so your great smile doesn’t skip a beat.
If you’d like to learn more about veneers and how to best maintain them, contact our office in McLean, Virginia, today.
