Maintaining Your Cosmetic Results: Essential Tips for Long-Lasting Dental Aesthetics
Investing in your smile is a great way to safeguard your oral health. In general, patients who choose to have cosmetic procedures have healthier teeth and gums because they are more likely to brush, floss and visit the dentist.
Another way to maximise the results of your cosmetic dentistry procedures is to make sure you take care of your teeth following treatment. Brushing and flossing is a great place to start. You should also follow the aftercare advice to ensure you don’t damage your teeth or reverse the work of your cosmetic restorations.
In this guide, we’re exploring some of the ways you can protect your teeth following cosmetic treatments to help extend the results and keep your smile looking stunning.
Aftercare tips for every cosmetic treatment
After your cosmetic treatment, you will be given aftercare instructions that are specific to your situation. This could include:
Following teeth whitening treatments, try to avoid staining food and drinks for a while. You might even choose to cut these out altogether. This includes things like red wine, soy sauce, ketchup, turmeric and cola drinks.
After having veneers placed on your teeth, you’ll need to be careful about how you use your teeth. You should avoid chewing ice, as this can chip the veneer or cause it to come loose. You should also avoid things like ripping sellotape with your teeth or opening packages with your teeth, as this could lead to damage.
When you have a crown or bridge on your tooth, chew with caution while you get used to it. You might have to modify your choice to foods to avoid very hard or sticky things like unpopped popcorn kernels or toffee.
After you have completed orthodontic treatment, it is essential to wear your retainer at night time. You’ll need to wear this for as long as you want your teeth to remain straight. If you stop wearing a retainer at night time, your teeth will move into the easiest alignment, and this isn’t always perfectly straight.
Your teeth might be more sensitive in the days following a cosmetic treatment. This isn’t permanent, but you can simply avoid very hot and very cold food/drink until this feeling passes.
Composite bonding is not as strong as veneers, so you’ll need to be even more cautious about what you eat. Avoid biting directly into crunchy foods like raw fruits and vegetables. Chopping these into smaller pieces will allow you to chew them with your molars rather than trying to bite into them with your composite resin-covered teeth.
What to do if something goes wrong
It can be distressing if something goes wrong with a cosmetic dental treatment, particularly if you are left with a fault in your smile. Examples of things that could go wrong include a chip or crack in your veneer, a crown that comes loose, or losing your retainer.
If anything goes wrong following dental treatment, simply get in touch with your dentist to arrange an appointment. In some situations, like a loose crown, this will be treated as an emergency as it’s vital to get the crown back in place so you don’t leave the tooth below exposed.
A chipped tooth with a sharp edge would also be an emergency, as this could cause cuts to your lips and inside of your cheek. This is another situation where it would be wise to visit an emergency dentist.
Do I need to “top up” my treatments?
Cosmetic dental treatments are not always permanent and you might need to think about the long term implications of your treatment plan.
Teeth whitening should last for a few months up to three years. If you continue eating the same staining foods, you can expect the stains to return. Thankfully, you can easily “top up” your treatments to restore the glistening white results. Be wary about over-use of teeth whitening products, as this can make your teeth look transparent.
Veneers and crowns will typically last for around 10-12 years with good care and regular checkups. After this time, you might need to think about replacing the veneer or crown.
Composite bonding is generally designed to last for around 5 years. It won’t break away, but it will wear down gradually over time. You’ll then need to decide if you would like to replace the composite bonding or try a new treatment like veneers or crowns.
Orthodontics will last for as long as you continue to wear your night time retainer. You could also be fitted with a permanent retainer to keep your teeth in the correct alignment. If you stop wearing a retainer and your teeth shift, you will need to start orthodontic treatment again to restore the results.
Ready to start your cosmetic treatment journey? Get in touch with our team today to learn more about the options available to you.
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