You probably feel pretty good if you’ve gotten veneers in Topeka and Silver Lake. After all, these prosthetics make your teeth smooth, white, and shiny! However, you might wonder if thin sheets of porcelain can handle your coffee habit. In particular, will the drink stain your veneers like natural teeth? To help answer that question, your local dentist is here with the scoop. Read on to learn why coffee can stain porcelain veneers and how to keep it from doing so.
Can Veneers Get Stained?
As you might know, veneers are stain-resistant. Their porcelain gives them greater resistance to tannins and other things that discolor teeth. Even so, “stain-resistant” isn’t the same as “stain-proof” — certain foods and drinks can turn veneers dark over time. The latter are items like wine, berries, tea, and especially coffee.
Adding insult to injury, veneers can’t be rewhitened with a teeth-whitening treatment. Therefore, there are only a few special ways to fix them when they get stubborn stains. One might be to have the veneers polished, while another is to reglaze them. As a last resort, your dentist may need to replace the prosthetics entirely.
Tips for Preventing Veneer Stains
Fortunately, it’s easy enough to prevent veneer stains in the first place. All it takes are a few changes to your daily habits. They include the following:
- Avoid Foods & Drinks with Staining Agents: The best way to avoid veneer stains is to refrain from meals known for staining effects. Even when having an acidic drink, it’d be wise to do so with a straw. That way, the liquid would bypass your teeth.
- Practice Good Oral Hygiene: Like natural teeth, veneers can accumulate leftover food that yellow them. Make sure, then, to brush your teeth twice daily, floss once daily, and rinse every day with an ADA-approved mouthguard.
- Don’t Use Tobacco Products: Veneers can withstand tobacco, but the composite around them can’t. For that reason, smoking can cause the edges of a veneered tooth to look brownish. Plus, the habit tends to cause gum disease and other dental problems.
- Wear a Mouthguard: Teeth that experience trauma or damage from injury can become discolored due to ruined dentin. To keep that from happening, consider wearing a mouthguard — for sports, sleeping, or both.
You don’t need to give up coffee for your veneers from Topeka and Silver Lake. Still, remember to use the tips above so your daily cup doesn’t undo the treatment’s effects.
About the Practice
Michel Dental is based in the Kansas cities of Topeka and Silver Lake. As led by Dr. Michael Michel, our practice provides the highest quality of custom dentistry. To that end, we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, not to mention dental emergency care. Our office is also a certified provider of therapies for sleep apnea and TMJ disorders. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (785)-273-0801.