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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

Like many people who need to lose a few pounds, I try diet after diet in an attempt to find one that finally works for me. I learned the hard way that I need to make sure any diet will not harm my teeth, even if it does help me lose a few pounds. I learned this lesson when following a grapefruit diet. There are many versions of this, but the version I tried had me eat a grapefruit alone several times each day. It was supposed to suppress my appetite. I helped keep me from munching on unhealthy snacks, but the acid in the fruit took a toll on my tooth enamel and I quickly started getting lots of cavities. I created this blog to remind people that change up their diets often to make sure the foods they are eating are not harming their teeth.

What Happens When You Get Dental Veneers To Improve The Appearance Of Your Front Teeth

2 February 2019
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

If you've always wished you had prettier teeth, then dental veneers might be able to help. Veneers cover the front of your teeth so your smile can be brighter and your teeth can have a more uniform appearance. Veneers can close a gap between your front teeth, cover a chip, or make a short tooth longer. You might want a veneer on one tooth that doesn't match the others or you might want veneers on all your upper front teeth. Here's a look at the process of getting veneers.

The Dental Examination

The first step is to find a dentist who can apply the veneers and then schedule an appointment for an examination. While veneers can help with many dental problems, braces or crowns might be needed for certain situations. Once your dentist understands what you hope to achieve and has determined that you're a good candidate for veneers based on the shape of your teeth and your oral health, then the process begins that may entail a couple of dental visits to complete.

The Preparation Of Your Teeth

Veneers are very thin shells made out of porcelain, and even though they are thin, they still need room to fit over your teeth so they look natural. This usually entails removing a thin layer of enamel from the teeth getting veneers. The layer removed is so thin that you may not even need an anesthetic while you have the dental work, but it is available if you need it or want it. During this visit, the dentist will also get impressions of your teeth so the lab can custom make the veneers to fit in your mouth perfectly. Other preparation may need to be done as well. If your teeth haven't been cleaned recently, your dentist may want you to undergo teeth cleaning. Also, the color of the veneers will match the color of your teeth and the color of the porcelain can't be changed later. If you want to whiten other teeth, then that should be done before you get veneers so the porcelain can be matched to the new white color of your teeth.

The Application Of The Veneers

Putting the porcelain shells on your teeth is a matter of cementing them in place. However, the job requires meticulous precision so the shells don't cause irritation and so they look natural. Your dentist will apply and readjust them repeatedly until the position is just right. Last-minute color changes can be done at this time if necessary. Once the right color and position are finalized, the shells are permanently affixed with dental cement and a light is used on your teeth that causes the cement to harden quickly. When you leave the dental office, your teeth will have their new and improved appearance and you can care for them and eat with them just as you would natural teeth.