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Frequently Asked Questions
4. Question: Is there any special care 7. Question: Are there any guarantees with
necessary to maintain porcelain veneers? porcelain veneers?
Answer: You must brush and floss your Answer: Most state laws prohibit any health
veneers daily. You should also have your care professionals from guaranteeing any
veneers professionally cleaned by a dentist biologic procedure. This law exists because
of a dental hygienist every three to four local and systemic biology can change rapidly,
months. affecting any previously performed biologic
procedure. Simply stated, a healthy tooth, as
5. Question: Do porcelain veneers break well as a properly restored tooth, could
easily? Will I have to watch what kind of foods develop future problems.
I eat?
Since porcelain veneers are expensive, most cos-
Answer: Once porcelain veneers are fused to metic dentists will replace any veneer that breaks
your natural teeth, they are extremely strong. within three years of its original placement, pro-
However, there are foods that can break viding that the patient is maintaining the veneers
porcelain veneers, just as they would your (through regular hygiene) in the office where the
own natural teeth. These include: chewing veneers were placed.
on bones, biting extremely hard candies,
chewing extremely hard nuts, crunching ice 8. Question: Can veneers be placed over
cubes, and chewing very hard pretzels. If you existing crowns and bridges?
use common sense when choosing foods, your
veneers will not break and will provide years Answer: If the crowns or bridges are made
of service. from porcelain, the answer is yes, provided
that the crowns or bridges still fit the
6. Question: How long will porcelain veneers underlying tooth structure well.
last?
9. Question: Do porcelain veneers cause gum
Answer: Typically, porcelain veneers should problems?
last a minimum of ten years or more, if
placed by an experienced cosmetic dentist. In Answer: Because porcelain veneers are
my practice, over 95% of all veneers placed extremely thin and do not go into the gum
fifteen years ago are still functioning and look tissue, gum problems rarely develop.
beautiful today.
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