My family's dental health is important to me. Unfortunately for me, it is not as important to my little ones. Getting my kids to brush and floss on a daily basis is almost like taking on an obstacle course. I talked to my family's dentist about different methods I could try to encourage them to brush and floss on a regular basis. Some of the tricks worked, some did not. After some experimentation and talking to other parents, I was able to come up with a lot of great tips for helping kids care for their teeth. I started this blog to help other parents get creative when it comes to their kids and dental care.
-
General Dentistry: Taking Care Of Your Oral Health 7 February 2024
-
When Should You See a Dentist for a Tooth Extraction? 4 December 2023
-
How a Dentist Can Help If You Have a Toothache 14 November 2023
A Guide to Creatively Handling a Child's Dental Health
How Does Smoking Affect Porcelain Veneers?
Bella Snyder
Porcelain veneers are a good investment if you wish to improve your smile. Take good care of them, and your porcelain veneers could last at least ten years, and they often last much longer with the right care.
But if you are a smoker, then be aware that smoking could affect your porcelain veneers in the long run. That's why some patients try to quit smoking before having porcelain veneers placed on their teeth.
Smoking won't stain your porcelain veneers
The good news is that smoking won't stain your porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers are completely smooth and free of imperfections, unlike natural teeth, which also have pores. Tar and nicotine penetrate the pores and imperfections in natural teeth to cause staining. But this won't happen with your porcelain veneers.
However, staining could still be an issue.
Smoking can stain the margins of porcelain veneers
The surfaces of your porcelain veneers won't stain as long as they remain smooth. But the margins of your porcelain veneers could eventually stain, especially if you are a heavy smoker. Like enamel, the material used to bond porcelain veneers to teeth is porous. This means that over time, this bonding material could stain. If this happens, your veneers will appear yellow around the edges.
Fortunately, you can deal with this problem by visiting your dentist and asking them to polish the area. Some general dentists are experienced at polishing the edges of porcelain veneers to remove staining, and some are not. If your dentist is not experienced at this, then ask them to recommend one who is to ensure you get the best results.
Smoking can damage your teeth and gums
The most serious issue you should be concerned with in regards to smoking and porcelain veneers is the damage smoking does to your gums and teeth. Since smoking reduces the ability of your gums to heal, this increases your risk of gum disease. Gum disease can weaken your gum tissue and the underlying tissues, such as the periodontal ligaments.
Teeth can become unstable in their sockets and even fall out if gum disease goes untreated. And if you already have porcelain veneers on your teeth, to treat your gums properly, the dentist will probably need to remove the porcelain veneers, as they can obscure the gum tissue.
This will leave your teeth exposed until your gum disease is cured. That could take weeks or months.
If you want to get porcelain veneers to improve your smile, then think about giving up smoking for good. Giving up smoking will extend the life of your veneers as well as your natural teeth.
To learn more, contact a resource like Allure Dental.
Share