Porcelain dental veneers can be a great solution to chipped, stained, small, or slightly misaligned teeth. However, veneers are expensive and can cost as much as $2,500 per tooth. This means that a full set of veneers requires a potential investment of tens of thousands of dollars. Your investment is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Some porcelain veneers can last longer though, as long as you make sure that you care for them the right way. Keep reading to learn about some good cleaning tips to keep your veneers in great shape.

Take Care Of The Gums

Dental veneers can cause some gum inflammation and infection issues for a variety of reasons. To make sure that the veneers are as natural looking as possible, your cosmetic dentist will place them underneath the gums. This can cause trauma to the delicate tissues and result in swelling and bleeding. Also, the tooth coverings will create a small lip in the area where the edge of the veneer meets the natural tooth. The lip is an indentation that can collect small bits of food, plaque, and bacteria. These are all things that encourage gingivitis to form. Also, the lip will hit the tooth under the gums where the tooth is no longer protected by a thick layer of dental enamel. A cavity can then form along the dental root and underneath the veneer.

To prevent gingivitis, gum inflammation, and the eventual recession of the gum tissues, make sure to clean the gums thoroughly every day after the dental veneers are secured. Using dental floss is a good start and you should also invest in interdental brush cleaners. These types of devices are typically used to clean between braces, bridges, and dental implants. The thin varieties are perfect for use around veneers where there is little space to work traditional floss near the gum line.

You also should purchase a water flosser to clean underneath the gums where the veneer lip sits. Once you purchase the flosser, make sure to also buy a gum pocket cleaning tip. The tip will be a flexible rubber device with a small spray hole that releases low-pressure water underneath the gum tissues. This type of device will be effective in clearing any debris, bacteria, or plaque that has an opportunity to travel around the dental veneer lip.

Concentrate On The Backs Of The Teeth

Dental veneers are placed on the fronts of the teeth after a small sliver of the dental enamel is ground away. The veneers are overlapped over the tops of the teeth a small amount, but the backs of the teeth are left in their natural state. This happens because there is no need to completely encase the teeth since the backs are not readily seen. Also, leaving the back portion of the dental enamel alone helps the teeth retain their strength. However, most people pay little attention to the backs of their teeth. If you have dental veneers, then keeping the backs of the teeth clean is vitally important to retaining the tooth coverings over a long period of time.

To make sure that the tooth backs remain in great shape, invest in a dental mirror and inspect the teeth at least once a week. Hold your breath as you use the mirror to keep the glass from fogging up. When completing the inspection, look for signs of debris or yellow plaque. These are the areas of the teeth you should concentrate on cleaning more aggressively. Purchase an end tuft toothbrush or a product that contains a group of tightly packed bristles in a small circular protrusion at the end of the brush. This type of toothbrush can be angled down around the backs of the teeth so you can clean hard-to-reach areas.