Blog

Many patients have porcelain veneers fitted to cover the appearance of stained or discoloured teeth. Therefore it is very important that the veneers do not themselves stain or the treatment becomes slightly pointless. Porcelain veneers are naturally quite resistant to stains, as porcelain is quite a resilient substance. However, no matter how tough porcelain is, continued exposure to substances such as coffee and red wine will again begin to affect the veneers just as it does the natural enamel.
Many patients have stained teeth because of lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking large amounts of coffee. Unless changes are made to this lifestyle they will always suffer some degree of staining whether it be natural enamel or veneers, although it is true that veneers are more easily cleaned of stains than enamel. It is also possible to take a few precautions against staining when fitting the veneers. Ask your City of London dentist to use stain resistant bonding to cement the veneers, as it is often this that gives the stained appearance rather than the veneer. Avoid using acid fluoride treatments as they can break down the porcelain making the veneer more at risk of staining.
Other ways to keep veneers free of stains include making sure that you properly clean them like you would real teeth. Flossing veneers can help to remove staining that occurs on the edges of the tooth and having them regularly polished by your dentist will also help to prevent staining.