While self-esteem and appearance are a trend in this digital age, enhancing your smile’s aesthetics is one aspect to focus on. However, this is a challenge in Australia, as about a third of an adult’s teeth are often decayed, damaged, missing, or filled.
Unfortunately, a national survey from the Butterfly Foundation reports that 1 in 3 Australians are unhappy with their appearance. When desiring to enhance looks, especially how one’s smile radiates, veneers are the popular cosmetic options.
Dental veneers are custom-made thin shells designed to mask teeth imperfections. They fit onto the front surface of the teeth, concealing stains, gaps, chips, or cracks. They provide uniform, stunning teeth that enhance oral condition without invasive surgery.
In this article, we will explore how long veneers last and the factors affecting their lifespan. We will also provide practical tips on extending the longevity of veneers.
Average Lifespan of Veneers
Finding a suitable veneer quality is crucial to partially protecting your teeth from mechanical and chemical exposures. Unless you have strong enamel, this won’t be an issue.
High-quality materials, like porcelain or ceramic veneers, provide exceptional durability that may last between 10 and 15 years. These strong, stain-resistant options can withstand the wear and tear of daily use or often prevent further damage or decay.
Composite veneers, still a viable option, tend to have shorter lifespans, typically lasting about 5 to 7 years. This is primarily due to their resin-based composition, which is not as durable as porcelain types.
Although both veneer types withstand corrosion, their actual lifespan still varies from person to person. This can vary depending on your habits, lifestyle, dental care, and the dentist’s procedure skills.
Factors That Affect Veneer Longevity
Dental professionals can customise your veneer’s translucence, shape and size. However, these features often change or, worse, degrade over time. While each veneer type lasts differently, actual lifespan can vary due to factors such as:
Material Choice
Veneers, whether porcelain or composite resin, may differ in durability and appearance. Unlike natural teeth, high-quality porcelain veneers are highly resistant to stains. They offer the lifelike translucence of your original teeth, making them a preferred choice by many.
Veneers may often break and come loose, especially when decay, fracture, or debonding issues occur. This commonly occurs for composite veneers. While they are more affordable than porcelain, they are less durable and susceptible to staining and chipping. Occasionally, they require frequent maintenance and replacement due to acquired damages.
Oral Hygiene
When consistently done, meticulous oral hygiene preserves the lifespan of your veneers. To do this, regularly brush and floss your teeth and veneers, ensuring pristine oral condition. Scheduling routine dental check-ups is key to preventing veneer-related issues early on.
Lifestyle Habits
Applying excessive pressure may damage veneers, regardless of their compositions. Habits like contact sports and excessive bites may shatter your veneers. Other habits like smoking can stain your veneers over time, significantly reducing your smile’s aesthetic appeal.
Professional Care and Installation
Occasionally, veneers can detach as bonding cement wears off over time. If this happens, contact a dentist with expertise in cosmetic dentistry. Expert professionals can prepare well-curated veneers that properly fit and adhere to provide you with a secure and durable restoration.
How to Care for Your Veneers to Maximise Longevity
Like preserving natural teeth, adequate care and maintenance protect veneers from wear and damage. Adopt some of the practical tips to augment your veneers’ lifespan:
Daily Care Routine
To ensure that your veneers remain pristine over the years, incorporate these care practices into your daily oral routines:
- Gentle Brushing – Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a non-abrasive toothpaste, twice a day. This optimally prevents any damage to the delicate, lustrous surface of veneers.
- Flossing – While veneers only provide partial protection, flossing daily prevents potential gum and tooth decay. This effectively removes plaque buildup in the nooks and crannies of your teeth and veneers.
- Mouthwash – Rinse your mouth with a fluoride mouthwash, ensuring particle removal that brushing and flossing can’t reach.
Avoiding Certain Foods and Habits
Veneers are highly durable yet deteriorate under excessive pressure and chemical exposure. Consider avoiding these as part of your veneer maintenance:
- Hard Objects – Refrain from eating hard food items like ice, nuts or candy that are likely to cause crack or chips to veneers. Prevent chewing on these to reduce the risk of veneer detachment.
- Bad Habits – Avoid biting your pens and nails or excessively clenching your jaw when excited or stressed. These, either voluntary or involuntary, may loosen or nick veneers. Often, your dentist may recommend you wear mouthguards to protect them.
- Staining Substances – Veneers are not stain-proof in long-term exposure to staining substances like coffee, tea, red wine, soda, and even tobacco. These consumables may cause veneers to lose lustre and discolour.
- Acidic Foods and Drinks – Limit your intake of acidic foods and drinks such as citrus, vinegar-based dressings or carbonated beverages. Acid coming from these can erode not only your tooth enamel but also the veneer’s intricate surface.
Regular Dental Check-ups
Like most dental treatments, veneers aren’t fully damage-resistant, requiring regular check-ups to ensure robust aftercare. Your dentist may assess the condition, stability, and integrity of your attached veneers.
After a thorough assessment, you can expect a professional cleaning. When there are signs of damage or wear and tear, your dentist may repair or replace your veneers. Frequent check-ups are crucial to address any veneer-related issues early.
When Veneers Need Replacement
Although veneers are designed to be durable and stain-resistant, they are not unbreakable. These can chip, loosen or crack when exposed to excessive pressure or an underlying dental problem. Here are some signs that your veneers need replacement:
- Chipped or loosened veneers – due to accidents or excessive teeth biting and grinding.
- Discolouration – resulting from inadequate care and heavy drinking or smoking.
- Increased discomfort or sensitivity – common during the first few days after the procedure, but these could indicate that veneers aren’t properly bonded later on.
- Gum recession – these gaps between the veneers and gums increase the risk of plaque accumulation and gum disease.
- Changes in appearance – including any alterations in the veneers’ shape, size and alignment.
- Deteriorated underlying teeth – when teeth under veneers develop decay, this must be treated promptly. After removing the decay, your dentist may place new veneers.
While veneer procedures might take time for first-timers, replacing them is straightforward. After the consultation, your dentist will discuss the replacement, remove old veneers, and shape teeth to accommodate new ones.
Once attached, your dentist makes final adjustments to ensure your veneers fit securely and comfortably while all looking natural.
How Aesthetic Dental Can Help
As Sydney’s trusted provider of expert dental care, Aesthetic Dental Clinic specialises in veneer procedures. We combine artistry and precision to provide top-notch veneer applications. Here’s how we’ve done it:
- Expertise in Veneer Application – Our experienced dentists have an in-depth understanding of veneer materials and techniques. This helps us offer top-grade veneers with exceptional durability, quality and look. We also have highly skilled prosthetists to craft veneers that blend seamlessly with your natural teeth.
- Personalised Consultations – Our skilled dentists will carefully assess your teeth and customise a treatment plan based on your desired outcome. We also provide maintenance and aftercare advice to ensure your veneers’ quality and condition.
- Same-Day Veneer – After getting your teeth impressions, our proficient lab technicians custom-made your veneers. While it often takes weeks, we offer same-day veneer application with our full laboratory onsite.
Conclusion
As a favoured dental cosmetic, dental veneers perfectly enhance teeth’ translucence and look. However, they can be short-lived, and their longevity depends on the materials used, procedures, lifestyle, oral hygiene, and check-ups.
Are you desiring to transform your smile with veneers that will last years? Aesthetic Dental Clinic is here for you. We offer personalised advice so you can select the perfect veneers for your unique needs. We customise premium veneers that provide results second to none.
To book a consultation, contact us at (02) 4655 4438. You can also visit our clinics in Camden, Goulburn, and Tamworth to get your perfect smile with veneers!
