If you have recently had veneers put on your teeth, you probably love the fact that you can now be proud of the appearance of your smile. You probably want to enjoy your veneers for as long as possible without the need to replace them, and you could be worried about scratching or breaking them. Luckily, veneers are pretty resilient and can withstand most of the things that regular teeth can, but you do still need to be careful. If you follow these tips, you can help keep your veneers in excellent condition for a long time to come.

1. Avoid Grinding or Clenching Your Teeth

First of all, you should make sure that you don't grind or clench your teeth when you are wearing your veneers. Otherwise, you could cause them to chip or break. Most people who grind or clench their teeth do so in their sleep; if this is your situation, then you need to talk to your dentist for assistance. Your dentist can prescribe you a mouth guard, which you wear at nighttime when you sleep. This guard will help prevent you from grinding or clenching and can help protect both your veneers and your natural teeth from chips and cracks.

2. Be Careful What You Eat

You can eat most of the same things with your veneers that you would eat with your natural teeth, but you should still be careful about overly hard foods. For example, munching on a hard candy apple, biting down on a lollipop or gnawing on a bone might not be a good idea. Also, be careful about chewing on ice; it's a bad habit that could cause your veneers to crack or chip. 

3. Use a Non-Abrasive Toothpaste

A lot of toothpaste formulas contain baking soda and other abrasive agents nowadays. These abrasive toothpastes are designed to gently scrub at your natural teeth to get rid of surface stains, but this isn't a good thing for your veneers. The abrasive ingredients could cause scratches and imperfections, so it's best to choose a simple toothpaste that isn't abrasive. Avoid whitening formulas, since these generally contain baking soda.

Keeping your veneers scratch, crack and chip-free is important. If you follow these three tips and follow your dentist's instructions, you shouldn't have a problem keeping your veneers looking their best. Then, you can enjoy them for as long as possible without the need for a replacement.

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