How long your porcelain veneers will last depends on how well you maintain it. Once you are treated with these beautiful restorations, it's important that you adhere to oral health and hygiene. Habits like consuming too much of carbohydrates between mealtimes or not brushing and flossing religiously will shorten the lifespan of your veneers. However, if you take good care of your teeth, they will last for 10-12 years.

Once patients have sparkling and beautiful whites instead of unappealing ones, they should be more enthused to take proper care of these dental products. To increase their lifespan, here are some maintenance techniques so that you keep looking charming with your million dollar smile. Professional cosmetic dentists suggest maintenance appointments at least 2-3 times in a year.

Avoid Alcoholic Beverages

To bond porcelain with your teeth, resin is used and it is prone to stains. Discoloration and staining increase with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and soften the surface of the resin. Therefore, avoid too much of alcoholic drinks. Use toothpastes recommended by your dentist and not those abrasive products available at stores. Using abrasive toothpastes can scuff the margins.

Do Not Bite Hard Objects

Veneers cannot withstand pressure. If they are susceptible to sharp impacts, they may fracture. Therefore, avoid biting nails, pens, pins and opening hard bottle caps using your teeth. If you are into contact sports, it's better to use a mouth guard.

A Few Checklists for Maintenance by Patients

Your beautiful restorations provide you with satisfactory results for about 5 years or so. However, you can maximize their lifespan with proper care and maintenance. Here are some more checklists for getting the best out of your cosmetic procedure.

- Floss every day and brush your teeth thrice a day, once in the morning and after dinner before going to sleep. Brushing in the evening will also enhance your oral health.
- Avoid eating hard food such as nuts.
- Proper gum care is also important for the prevention of receding and inflammation. If your gum line starts declining, it will affect the appearance of your cosmetic restorations.
- Avoid grinding or clenching your teeth as that might result in the breaking or chipping. If you feel that you may clench or grind your teeth while sleeping, it's better to use a proper mouth guard.
- Avoid eating snacks and fried items too frequently because food particles stuck between teeth will promote decay.
- When visiting a dental clinic, make sure they are not using any sort of power polishing tools. Using such equipment may make you look great at the end of the treatment. However, using them will steal the glaze and your veneers will become vulnerable to stains. Make sure the glaze remains since porcelain is pretty stain-resistant.
- Do not opt for any kind of ultrasonic scaler on your natural whites having veneers. Using it will chip and damage the margins.
- Last but not the least is quitting the habit of smoking. Cigarettes not only create stains but also adversely affect your gums. This is again damaging for your restorations.

If your tooth is stained and you are thinking of using porcelain veneers, there are experienced cosmetic dentists to help you out.