Every smile makeover is different and unique to the patient. The smile makeover durability of those beautiful upgrades, though, should be similar for everyone. If you follow your Fort Lauderdale cosmetic dentist’s instructions and take care of your teeth, your cosmetic dentistry might just last a lifetime. The following includes the 4 factors that affect smile makeover durability.
Your Behavior Impacts Smile Makeover Durability
Your dentist uses strong, robust materials to create your new teeth but durability is affected by a patient’s behavior and choices too. Here are just some of the factors that affect smile durability:
- Maintain good at-home oral health care: It’s your job to take care of your teeth and gums at home with daily brushing and flossing. Even if you get a set of stain-resistant porcelain veneers, they’re not self-cleaning. To keep any smile changes in place, you need to be dedicated to your oral hygiene routine.
- Keep regular dental appointments: If your smile finally looks as amazing as you wanted it to, that doesn’t mean you abandon your dentist. It’s still important to see your Fort Lauderdale dentist every six months for a teeth cleaning and dental exam, which also includes a check of your smile makeover durability.
- Get help for bad habits: There are many things that we unconsciously inflict on our teeth that can damage them, but one of the biggest problems is clenching and grinding. Night bruxism not only causes headaches and jaw pain it damages teeth – including smile makeover treatments. Ask your dentist about getting a customized nightguard to maintain smile makeover durability.
- Avoid risky behavior: If you are a sports lover and on the field playing games, it’s critical that you protect your teeth. A blow to the mouth with a ball, piece of equipment, or collision with another player can damage your cosmetic dentistry in a flash. A sports guard is a must for your beautiful teeth.
How Long Smile Makeovers Last
Not all new smiles are made using the same cosmetic dentistry treatments, which means the durability of every smile will vary. Besides personal behaviors and activities that impact your oral health and dental care, individual treatments have their own lifespans. It’s important to know the anticipated longevity of your cosmetic dentistry treatment so you’ll get the best return for your investment and know what to expect from your smile after a few years have passed.
- A lifetime: Dental implants are one of the toughest dental restorations and can last forever. The crown attached to the implant may need to be replaced from wear and tear, but that’s it.
- 15 years: Porcelain veneers can last for 15 years, but some last far longer, especially if you take good care of your teeth.
- 10 to 20 years: Porcelain crowns are often guaranteed for about a decade, but some last double that time, especially if you see your dentist regularly and take good care of your teeth.
- 3 years: Teeth whitening offers immediate, stunning results and can last for about three years or so with proper upkeep. You’ll also be given a touch-up kit to take home after treatment which lets you spruce things up afterward as needed so you don’t need another professional treatment for a while.
Get the New Smile That’s Meant Just for You
Ready to talk about a personalized smile makeover? Contact Premier Smile Center in Fort Lauderdale to make an appointment and learn more about the 4 factors that affect smile makeover durability.
