Veneers can be used to cover all kinds of cosmetic flaws, which often makes them the ideal option when it comes to enhancing smiles. But how will veneers affect your ability to enjoy certain foods? Will you have to make any adjustments to your diet? To help you ensure that you’re truly prepared for your upcoming cosmetic dental treatment, here’s what you need to know about eating with temporary and permanent veneers.
Your Diet with Temporary Veneers
The process of placing veneers involves removing a small amount of enamel from your teeth. As such, until your permanent veneers are ready, you’ll need to wear temporary versions in order to protect your smile.
Temporary veneers are only meant to be worn for a short time, so they’re not as durable as permanent veneers. You will therefore need to be careful around foods that might damage or dislodge temporary veneers, such as:
- Particularly tough meats.
- Raw vegetables, popcorn, and other especially hard foods.
- Caramels, taffy, and other sticky treats.
To stay on the safe side, it is recommended that you stick to soft foods while wearing temporary veneers. Good options include eggs, mashed potatoes, pasta, soft bread, bananas, and chicken.
Your Diet with Permanent Veneers
Permanent veneers aren’t as prone to damage as temporary ones, meaning you will be able to eat a wider variety of foods. That said, you should still avoid chewing on anything that could break your veneers, such as unpopped popcorn kernels or hard nuts. Additionally, while veneers are stain-resistant, they can eventually become discolored if they are repeatedly exposed to dark-colored drinks such as coffee or red wine; you should thus be careful about consuming such beverages too often.
In addition to protecting the actual veneers, you also need to take care of the cement keeping them attached to your smile. Alcohol can gradually dissolve the cement, increasing the chances of your veneers falling off of your teeth. If you want to be able to keep your veneers as long as possible, you should only enjoy alcoholic beverages in moderation.
It’s worth noting that sticky foods can sometimes get caught on your veneers. To resolve this problem, you can rinse your teeth with warm salt water in order to soften the foods in question before gently brushing. The key thing is to be as careful as possible so that you don’t damage your veneers in the process of removing the sticky object.
If you have any questions or concerns about what your diet should look like after receiving veneers, talk to your dentist. They can give you an overview of the foods you’ll need to stay away from if your goal is to prolong the lifespan of your newly enhanced grin.
About the Practice
At Complete Dental Care, we have multiple dentists under a single roof who share a common goal of providing all of our patients with gentle, personalized treatments. We can use veneers along with other cosmetic dental services to help you achieve the smile of your dreams. To schedule a consultation with us at our office in Kent, visit our website or call (253) 854-2714.