Which Toothpaste Should You Use For Your Veneers?

If you’re someone who has long had problems with how your smile looks, veneers are without a doubt the best way to completely change the way that your smile appears to others. If you get them, you’ll be floored by the difference in how they make you look.

However, if you want to keep them in the same condition they were in on the day that you got them, you need to take care of them properly. One of the most common ways that people go wrong in that department has to do with using the wrong toothpaste—here’s how you can pick a toothpaste that won’t damage your teeth.

Toothpastes to Avoid For Your Veneers

There isn’t really a toothpaste specifically for veneers. Most dentists would recommend picking a toothpaste you could use on your smile more generally, so long as you avoid a select few varieties that could actively damage your dental work.

There are really two types of toothpaste that you need to be wary of if you wear veneers: those containing abrasives, and whitening toothpastes.

Abrasive Toothpaste

Many kinds of toothpaste now contain some mild abrasives, like baking soda and charcoal, that scrape away stains. While this is perfectly fine for your natural teeth, the porcelain that your veneers are made out of are considerably softer than your enamel. These abrasives can leave scratches behind on your dental work.

For that reason, it’s recommended that people with veneers avoid toothpastes that contain abrasives.

Whitening Toothpaste

Many of the whitening toothpastes that you’ll find at your local pharmacy contain a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution, which is the same substance used at higher concentrations in professional whitening treatments. It’s remarkably effective both at brightening enamel and as a disinfectant, making it excellent for dental hygiene.

However, hydrogen peroxide doesn’t work the same on porcelain. You’re unlikely to get the same whitening effects as you would for natural teeth—in fact, you’re more likely to damage the bonding solution that connects your veneers to your teeth.

So long as you avoid these two varieties of toothpaste, you should be able to reap the benefits of great oral hygiene without doing any damage to your veneers.

About the Author

Dr. Ryan Johnson knows that there are plenty of dentists here in Jacksonville, which is why he goes out of his way to make sure that he can stand apart from the competition by continuing to constantly build up his clinical expertise. Dr. Johnson received his dental degree from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, and is currently in the process of obtaining the distinction of Fellowship from the Academy of General Dentistry.

If you have any questions about veneers, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (904) 895-4536.