Your daily eating habits can have a great impact on your oral health, your overall wellness, and even your mood. If you have already established a good routine of eating nutritious, filling meals, you might wonder if getting some cosmetic dental work will require you to make any adjustments. Specifically, you might be curious to know if veneers will require you to change your diet. This blog post explains what you should know before you commit to treatment.
Temporary vs. Permanent Veneers
You will wear two different sets of veneers during your treatment process. The first set, your temporary veneers, will be somewhat fragile. They might get pulled off of your teeth if you eat sticky foods, and they could easily incur stains if you overindulge in highly pigmented items. They may also be prone to breakage. Therefore, you should be very careful about what and how you eat while you are wearing them.
Once your temporary veneers are replaced by your permanent veneers, you can feel free to eat virtually anything. Veneers are designed to stand up to all the rigors of normal everyday eating and drinking. They are even highly resistant to stains.
Tips for Eating with Veneers
Even though veneers are quite tough, there are still some pointers that you should keep in mind when you are eating with them. Your efforts to look after your teeth and your veneers will spare you from discomfort and allow you to minimize dental care costs.
- Limit your intake of certain foods. Biting down on extremely hard foods, such as ice and hard candies, could break your veneers. Also, keep in mind that while veneers are resistant to stains, they are not completely impervious to them. Enjoy highly pigmented items, like coffee and berries, only in moderation.
- Go easy on alcohol. Alcohol could wear away at the bonding agent that is used to adhere the veneers onto your teeth. Try to make adult beverages an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit.
- Favor soft and minimally pigmented foods. These items come with the lowest risk of staining or damaging your veneers. Things like pasta with white sauce, bananas, apples (cut into small pieces), white dairy products, white meats, and potatoes are all good choices.
- Focus on nutrition. Eating a balanced diet that contains lots of tooth-friendly nutrients (like calcium and vitamin D) can help the teeth under your veneers to stay strong and healthy.
Veneers may require you to make some changes to your eating habits, but you should still be able to enjoy all of your favorite meals!
Meet the Practice
The general dentists and specialists at Wellesley Dental Group are proud to provide comprehensive oral care to our community. If you are interested in enhancing your smile with veneers, or you have questions about how to choose foods that support oral health, we would be happy to serve you. Get in touch with our friendly team at 781-691-4914.