How to Protect Your Cosmetic Dental Work

If you have an unattractive smile, you may feel self-conscious in social settings, preventing you from living life to the fullest. Even the simplest adjustments to your smile can dramatically improve your appearance. At Wager Evans Dental, we offer cosmetic services to improve the look of your teeth and encourage you to smile with confidence. We provide teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, tooth contouring, and bonding. All of these services can boost your self-esteem and help you smile with pride.

While cosmetic dentistry can dramatically improve your smile, you must still maintain your cosmetic dental work with care and detail. The following is a list of ways you can preserve your smile makeover, enjoying its benefits for years to come.

Maintain Whitened Teeth

For those with whitened teeth, avoid any food or drink that cause teeth to stain. These include dark-colored sauces like soy, tomato, and curry sauce. You should also avoid sweets with food coloring and brightly colored berries that can stain teeth. Drinks to avoid include coffee, tea, dark sodas, and red wine. You should avoid smoking, as this can also stain teeth. If using one of our at-home teeth whitening systems, simply touch up your teeth whenever needed.

Preserving Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is an excellent way to fix chips, gaps, and misshapen teeth. We can also use dental bonding as a veneer to whiten teeth permanently. While bonding can dramatically improve the look of your smile, it requires maintenance. There are certain things you should avoid to preserve the composite resin we use.

• Avoid foods and drinks that can stain your dental bonding. These include the same items that can stain your natural teeth.

• Do not use harsh toothpastes that can dull dental bonding. Several toothpastes available on the market today are safe for bonded teeth, including Rembrandt, which is available in stores. You should also use soft bristled brushes to avoid damage.

• Avoid heavy consumption of alcohol, because alcohol weakens bonding and causes it to deteriorate quickly.

Protect Porcelain Veneers

We use porcelain veneers to change the shape of your teeth, including size and length. We also use them to close gaps between teeth, cover permanent stains, and replace crowns on front teeth. Like other forms of cosmetic dentistry, veneers require certain steps to preserve your beautiful veneers.

• Avoid using a water pick to clean your teeth, because it can damage veneers. Instead, brush and floss regularly.

• Do not chew on hard objects. Avoid eating hard candy, chewing on ice, and biting your fingernails. Those who chronically grind their teeth during the night should consider wearing a night guard to protect against the damage excessive grinding and pressure can cause to veneers.

• You should also avoid consuming heavy amounts of alcohol. We attach veneers to your teeth using dental bonding. As mentioned before, alcohol weakens dental bonding and this can cause problems with your veneers.

Schedule an Appointment

If you have questions about preserving your cosmetic dentistry, schedule a consultation with Dr. William Wager or Dr. Brian Evans. Call our Reno dentist office at (775) 800-4845 today. We serve the 89502 area.