Can You Still Get Cavities With Veneers?
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Veneers in London Bridge
Dental veneers have become one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry treatments lately. They are usually very popular with men and women in London wanting to improve their appearance of their teeth and restore their confidence. At Whites Dental, our cosmetic dentists can help to create a beautiful natural looking smile for you.
We offer a full range of cosmetic dentistry procedures in London Waterloo and London Bridge, such as tooth whitening, porcelain and composite veneers, composite bonding and smile alignment.
What is a dental veneer?
Dental veneer is a thin layer of porcelain made to fit over the front surface of a tooth, like a false fingernail fits over a nail to re-create the natural look of teeth, while also providing strength and resilience comparable to enamel. Occasionally a natural-colour ‘composite’ material is used instead of porcelain. Veneers are often used to fix stained, chipped, worn down, misaligned, or unevenly spaced teeth. The porcelain is also very durable, and invulnerable to cavities. But does that mean that the teeth beneath the veneers will always remain healthy and decay-free? Not necessarily. In this article, we will discuss why teeth under veneers are still susceptible to cavities and how you can protect them.
Veneers and Cavities
So how does getting veneers affect your likelihood to get cavities? Will porcelain veneers make your teeth invincible, or will your new smile constantly be under threat of dental problems? The answer to those questions is that a porcelain veneer, while covering much of the front surface of a tooth, actually does very little to affect the probability of a cavity. Whenever we chew food, small particles accumulate on the back of the teeth as well as the front, and this is what feeds the bacteria in our mouth and causes to create plaque. Plaque is a thin transparent film that leads to tooth decay and cavities. This process happens whether or not a person has veneers. Also, it’s possible for small food particles to become trapped along the front of the gum line regardless if the teeth are covered with veneers or not leading to decay and more often, gum disease.
The takeaway message is that veneers have very little influence on a person’s cavity risk.
There are a few reasons why teeth with porcelain veneers might develop cavities:
- If a veneer is not properly attached, or it has been on a tooth for many years, bacteria and food particles might sneak beneath it and attack the underlying dentition.
- A veneer only covers the front part of a tooth. Its back side will remain exposed to the dangers of bacteria and plaque.
- Porcelain veneers do not magically cure teeth of pre-existing problems such as decay and weakened dental enamel. Health conditions and certain medications (such as those that have dry mouth as a side effect) can greatly increase the risk of tooth decay in veneer-supporting teeth.
Preventing cavities
Fortunately, you don’t require any sort of special routine to avoid cavities while you have porcelain veneers. In fact, it just consists of habits you should already be using:
- Trust your treatment to the right person– it is best to choose a cosmetic dentist who has experience with veneers and who has positive reviews from past patients Do not be afraid to ask any potential dentist about their previous porcelain veneer cases. Your dentist should be someone who genuinely cares about both your oral health and your smile’s appearance.
- Brush twice a day- it’s important that you brush with a light touch using a soft-bristled brush for at least two minutes each time, as the opposite could actually scratch and damage veneers over time. When you brush, be sure not to neglect the backs or the area along the gum line.
- Flossing- it will help prevent cavities as well as stop gum disease. Floss between all of your teeth, even those with veneers.
- Regular dental visits – it gives your dentist a chance to clean your teeth where you can’t as well as make sure your veneers are in good shape. If they see a problem such as a damaged veneer, or a veneer is no longer properly bonded to a tooth, or one of your teeth has early signs of decay, they’ll be able to fix it for you before it gets worse. It is wise to schedule a dental appointment once every six months or as often as directed by your dentist.
Porcelain veneers can produce stunning aesthetic results, but they do not come with a no-cavity guarantee. Use the above tips to keep your smile beautiful and healthy after your cosmetic treatment. Porcelain veneers have already helped countless people overcome dental imperfections and achieve a smile they can feel confident about. What’s even better is that with standard oral homecare and routine dental visits, those smiles will reliably stay cavity-free for several years to come.
Improve your oral hygiene
If dental hygiene is the reason for your bad breath then this can be fixed relatively quickly. Patients should focus on brushing at least twice per day. Routine visits to your dentist are also very important. You can find more information on veneers on our homepage– https://www.whitesdental.co.uk/cosmetic-dentistry/
If you would like to have more information on veneers, please call us today on 0208 616 0590 and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
We have some of the leading cosmetic dentists in London working with us, here at Whites Dental. They provide composite bonding, composite veneer and porcelain veneer procedures to patients near us in London Bridge, London Waterloo, Southwark, London City and Elephant and Castle. We are based in London Waterloo, right across the road from Southwark Tube station and very close to London Waterloo rail station. We are a 10 to 12 minutes’ walk from Borough Market, Elephant and Castle tube station, London Bridge and a 4 to 7 minutes’ walk from Blackfriars station and Southbank.