Smoking and Veneers
 Your smile is an important factor in your appearance. The quality of your smile can significantly affect how others see you, and the impressions you make. Chips, cracks, gaps, misshapen teeth, and discoloration can all impact the overall quality of your smile. At Raptou Family Dental, we can improve your smile with veneers. While veneers are effective, certain habits can impact their effectiveness. One of these factors is smoking.
What are Veneers?
Veneers are a cosmetic treatment for correcting the appearance of teeth affected by minor flaws. They are small, thin shell-like restorations that are made to be bonded to the front surfaces of the affected teeth, effectively concealing the imperfections and improving the appearance of your teeth. Typically made from porcelain, veneers can completely transform your smile and significantly boost your confidence.
Veneers Can Conceal Stains from Smoking
One of the issues veneers can conceal is stains. If you smoke, your teeth may be stained. Cigarettes and other tobacco products contain numerous chemicals. Two of these chemicals, tar, and nicotine can dull the natural whiteness of your teeth. Tar is dark in color and can contribute to brown stains. Nicotine is clear until it comes into contact with oxygen. Then it becomes yellow. These two factors can greatly impact the color of your teeth and the overall quality of your smile.
In many cases, staining is treated with whitening. However, if you have deep, dark stains, such as those from smoking, whitening may not provide you with the results you are looking for. In cases such as these, veneers can help to restore the bright white color to your smile.
Veneers, which are made from impressions of your mouth, are made to fit perfectly over the affected teeth. To place your veneers, a small portion of the enamel is removed from the front surfaces of the visible teeth, which is done to help create a more natural, less bulky, appearance. The veneers are then bonded into place on the teeth, completely concealing their discoloration.
Can Smoking Stain Veneers?
Porcelain is a stain-resistant material. It is much more stain resistant than your natural teeth. Cigarettes and other tobacco products will not stain these cosmetic restorations. However, it can cause the bonding agent securing your veneers into place to stain, which can impact the aesthetics of your smile.
Smoking and Your Gums
While smoking may not stain your porcelain veneers, it can cause other issues that can impact the aesthetics of your smile and the effectiveness of your treatment. Smoking can significantly increase your risk of developing gum disease. When gum disease develops and then goes untreated, you may begin to experience gum recession. This is when your gum line recedes, exposing more and more surface area of your teeth. When faced with gum recession, not only do your teeth begin to appear longer, your veneers become much more apparent. This can ruin their effectiveness, and significantly impact the quality of your smile.
While veneers are an excellent treatment for improving the quality of your smile, smoking can greatly impact their effectiveness. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call Raptou Family Dental today at (614) 427-0449.
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