Tag Archives: caring for porcelain veneers

Porcelain Veneers

Caring for My Porcelain Veneers

I recently had porcelain veneers placed, before all this quarantine craziness. I do love the veneers but want to make sure I take good care of them. Is there a particular toothpaste or mouthwash I should be using. Normally, I make my own mouthwash, but don’t want to use it if the ingredients are bad for my veneers. Our governor closed all dental offices so I don’t think I can even reach my dentist.

Here’s my recipe:

  • 8 oz. of filtered water
  • 8 oz. of 3% hydrogen peroxide
  • 2 T. of sea salt

Karli

Dear Karli,

A single porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

I’m glad to hear you love your porcelain veneers. Too many patients end up with a disappointing smile because they don’t go to a skilled and experienced cosmetic dentist.

Caring For Your Porcelain Veneers

Let’s start with the toothpaste. Generally, for any type of cosmetic dental work, I recommend Supersmile toothpaste. It was specifically designed to work with all types of porcelain as well as normal tooth structure. Unique in its ability to keep your teeth stain-free without damaging the glaze on your porcelain veneers or the enamel on your teeth.

Other whitening brands of toothpaste contain abrasives. While they can make your teeth look whiter and cleaner for a while, they are also putting micro etches into the tooth, which will cause it to pick up stains more quickly.

As for mouthwash, when you brush and floss regularly, you really would only need mouthwash occasionally, if at all. If you do want to use a mouthwash, the one thing you want to avoid is any mouthwash which contains alcohol. The alcohol will eat away at the bonding that keeps your veneers attached to your teeth.

The recipe you listed, while safe for your porcelain veneers, has one ingredient which requires caution. Hydrogen peroxide is great at killing bacteria. Unfortunately, it will also kill the helpful microbes allowing candida yeast to thrive.

If you use this recipe sparingly, like once a week, you should be fine. Much more than that and you’ll end up with thrush, which is an oral yeast infection.

I hope this was helpful. Enjoy the extra time with your family during this COVID-19 quarantine.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist, Dr. Mike Malone.