Dental veneers are a beautiful, natural-looking way to improve the appearance of your teeth and correct most dental flaws. But all that work will go to waste if your veneers are damaged by eating the wrong food. The dentists of Kaimuki Dental Group in Honolulu, HI, recommend being careful with your food choices if you have recently received veneers.

Temporary Veneers

During the process of having your custom veneers made, you may spend some time wearing temporary veneers to protect your teeth. These temporary veneers aren't as sturdy as your permanent ones will be, and they need extra care. For the first few days, you should try to eat only soft foods. Avoid food like tough meat, crusty bread or toast, chips, crackers, hard or sticky candy, ice, and popcorn. These foods can damage your temporary veneers or cause them to detach from your teeth, leaving the tooth exposed and sensitive. You should also avoid brightly colored foods, which may stain your temporary veneers.

Permanent Veneers

Your final veneers will be much more durable than your temporary ones, and will be permanently fixed to your teeth, meaning hard and sticky foods should no longer be a problem. In general, you should be able to return to your usual diet. However, you should still be careful with hard foods. Avoid the temptation to crack nuts with your veneers or chew hard candy.

You'll also need to take extra care to avoid staining. Teeth whitening doesn't work effectively on veneers, so you should be careful with dark liquids like coffee, tea, soft drinks, and wine. You can still drink these, but you should take care to minimize contact with your veneers. Try drinking through a straw whenever possible, and rinse with water or brush your teeth afterward.

With the appropriate care, your veneers will stay beautiful for years to come. If you're interested in dental veneers or other cosmetic procedures, call Kaimuki Dental Group today at (808) 737-7905 or contact them online. You can also connect with them on Facebook.