Veneers can dramatically change your smile for the better, but just like your natural teeth, they need to be protected if you want them to last. During and after the process, you’ll have to think carefully about the foods and drinks you consume in order to avoid displacing, damaging, or staining your new restorations. If you’re not sure how to plan a diet change with porcelain veneers in Skokie, read on to learn more about particular foods you should be wary of.
Eating and Drinking with Temporary Veneers
The temporary restorations that you wear while your permanent veneers are being made are only affixed to the teeth with temporary cement, making them more prone to falling off. Also, since they’re not made of porcelain, they’re more prone to staining and breakage. As such, you should stay away from these particularly problematic foods and beverages:
- Peppermints, raw carrots, popcorn kernels, ice cubes, and anything else that’s especially hard.
- Steak and other examples of tough-to-chew meat.
- Taffy, caramels, and other sticky foods that might pull the veneers off the teeth.
- Crunchy foods such as toast.
- Dark-pigmented foods and beverages that can lead to stains, such as coffee, berries, red wine, and ketchup.
You should plan to eat a lot of soft foods that are unlikely to damage your veneers or leave any stains. Some healthy choices include pasta, mashed potatoes, soft bread, chicken, bananas, and eggs.
Eating and Drinking with Permanent Veneers
Permanent veneers are strong enough to stand up to the forces necessary to chew a wide variety of foods, and they’re far more resilient to staining. You therefore do not have to be quite as stringent about limiting your diet once they’re in place. However, as a rule, anything that’s hard enough to potentially damage your real teeth could also break your veneers, so you should still steer clear of such foods. Also, red wine, coffee, and other dark liquids should only be consumed in limited quantities; stain-resistant is not the same as stain-proof. (It helps to drink such beverages through a straw so that they don’t come into direct contact with the teeth quite as much.)
In some cases, your teeth might be temporarily sensitive after veneer placement. If this happens, you may want to avoid extremely hot and cold foods and beverages for the time being. Also, if you’re uncomfortable chewing your food, try cutting it into smaller pieces.
If you’re not sure whether some of your favorite foods or beverages pose a potential risk to your veneers, you can talk to your dentist before the procedure. It’s important to think carefully about your post-veneer diet so that you can fully enjoy your new smile while still eating right.
About the Author
Dr. Brad Weiss has two full decades of dental experience that he has spent transforming and enhancing numerous smiles. He was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Dentists in 2012, and he has formerly served as a delegate for the Illinois State Dental Society. At Weiss Dental Arts, he offers porcelain veneers for patients looking for comprehensive solutions for their cosmetic dental issues. To schedule a consultation and learn more about the process of placing veneers, visit his website or call (847) 864-0188.