Cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry don’t often mix. While the former field concerns itself with aesthetics alone, the latter reaches the root of the matter, addressing dental health itself. So, on a surface level (cosmetic dentistry’s specialty), dental veneers and gum disease don’t match—in heaven or otherwise. On a plane beyond skin-deep, though, these two clash at a whole other level.

Does Gum Disease Affect Veneers?

To address this question, let’s change a word and add some extras: “Can gum disease affect the veneer treatment process?” The answer to this question is yes—in fact, it can (and will) stop the process in its tracks. Before a cosmetic dentist approves veneers for your teeth, you must have a clean bill of dental health. So, if you’re showing signs of gingivitis or—worse—periodontal disease, you ain’t passing that preliminary check.

Why is it so important to be periodontitis-free before getting some composite resin or porcelain placed on your teeth? There are a host of reasons:

A mouth riddled with gum disease is more prone to bleeding or swelling, which can stifle the bonding process.
Taking dental impressions will likely aggravate or damage already-irritated gums.
Irritated gums can skew a dental impression, which would lead to misshaped veneers.
Gum disease would likely damage veneers and impair their lifespan.
Gum disease could potentially compromise the success of the procedure itself.
Periodontal disease can result in loose teeth or even tooth loss, so it wouldn’t be the best idea to attach veneers to such an insecure base.

Because you must be gum disease-free before getting your veneers, it goes without saying that they will not fix gum disease. Sure, veneers can fix aesthetic issues, fill gaps and mask discolouration—but, again, these are surface fixes. They won’t fix health-related dental issues, like gum disease.

A Preventative Approach to Gum Disease

Whether you need to clean up your act for incoming veneers or you’ve just undergone a veneers procedure, we would strongly recommend a preventative approach to dental hygiene.

In fact, we would recommend preventative strategies to everyone, regardless of whether they’re seeing a cosmetic dentist or a regular one. Preventative dentistry is the best way to keep issues at bay and nip them in the bud before they blossom into gingivitis or periodontitis.

Seeing as gum disease can damage veneers and shorten their lifespan, it’s particularly important to implement preventative strategies in the wake of any cosmetic dental work. Dental veneers cost a pretty penny, so you want to take all measures possible to preserve their longevity.

So, what does preventative dentistry look like? Ultimately, it boils down to habits that were hopefully ingrained in childhood:

Brush your teeth at least twice per day using fluoride toothpaste.
Floss your teeth at least once per day.
Visit your dentist every 6 months for a checkup and clean.

Caring for Your Veneers

As well as preventative dentistry, you will need to implement some further strategies to preserve your new porcelain teeth. In essence, these strategies amount to watching what you put in your mouth:

Adopt a veneer-friendly diet that will prevent stains, reduce biting pressure and preserve the veneer material. So, you’ll be cutting out dark beverages (coffee, black tea, red wine and fruit juice); condiments (tomato sauce and soy sauce are huge no-nos); colourful fruits (such as berries); and anything hard, crunchy or chewy (such as junk food, ice cubes, and meat with a bit of gristle).
In general, avoid biting down hard on anything. Sure, ice cubes and boiled lollies appear on the blacklist, but you should also avoid biting your nails or using your teeth when scissors aren’t available. Such abrasive activity can chip or damage dental veneers, especially if they’re porcelain.
Don’t smoke or use nicotine products. These are perhaps the worst perpetrators for staining. Oftentimes, cosmetic dentists will only carry out procedures on the proviso that their patient is either a non-smoker or has resolved to quit smoking.

Can Veneers Fix Receding Gums?

Because gum tissue doesn’t regenerate, nothing can truly ‘fix’ receding gums. However, you can invest in gum veneers to mask the glaring spaces left in the wake of gum disease. Please note these are not veneers for your teeth and may be more difficult to locate on the market.

Find a Dentist Near Kew for You

Did you know that Abbotsford Dental services a host of different suburbs? As well as Abbotsford, our dentist clinic services Kew, Richmond, Collingwood, Clifton Hill, Fitzroy and Fitzroy North. So, if you’ve been considering dental veneers, you can reach out to our clinic with any enquiries about all things porcelain teeth. Our team would be happy to answer any questions you may have, as well as determine your best option: porcelain or composite dental veneers. So come on down to our clinic and we can take the first steps towards beautifying your smile. Book your first consultation today!