Care After Veneers
Keep your veneers looking perfect for years.
Veneers need simple care to stay bright and intact: good hygiene and avoiding habits that can chip them.
Longevity
Limit staining drinks to keep them bright.
The First Week With New Veneers
Mild sensitivity to cold and pressure is normal for a few days after bonding, as the tooth settles. Gum tenderness at the margins is also common where the ceramic meets the tissue.
Chew carefully on the first day while the bond reaches full strength, and avoid very hot or very cold drinks. Sensitivity that persists beyond one to two weeks should be assessed.
What Will Break a Veneer
Ceramic is strong under compression and weak under shear. The routine causes of fracture are entirely avoidable: biting fingernails, opening packaging with your teeth, chewing ice or pen lids, biting into hard crusty bread with the front teeth, and above all untreated bruxism.
If you grind or clench, a night guard is not optional — it is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. See bruxism.
Cleaning: The Margin Is Everything
Veneers do not decay. The tooth underneath, at the margin where ceramic meets enamel, absolutely does. Brush twice daily with a soft brush and non-abrasive paste — whitening pastes with high abrasivity dull the glaze over time.
Floss daily, easing the floss out sideways rather than snapping it up through the contact. Professional cleaning every six months should be done with instruments and polishing pastes safe for ceramic; tell the hygienist you have veneers.
Colour, Staining and Whitening
Porcelain resists staining well; the bonding cement at the margin can discolour slowly, particularly with heavy coffee, red wine or tobacco. Ceramic cannot be whitened. If your natural teeth shift shade over the years, the veneers will not follow.
Composite veneers stain more readily and can be polished or repaired chairside — see composite vs porcelain.
Longevity and When to Replace
Porcelain veneers typically last 10–15 years, with around 95% surviving at ten years; composite lasts 5–7 years. Replacement is prompted by a chipped edge, a leaking margin, recurrent decay beneath, or gum recession exposing the join.
Contact your dentist if a veneer feels loose, if the bite has changed, if a margin catches floss, or if a tooth becomes sensitive to biting. Small problems caught early are repaired; ignored, they become extractions. See veneers overview.
This page provides general information and does not replace professional dental advice. Follow the specific instructions given by your treating dentist.
Frequently Asked Questions
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