Do I Have to Quit Smoking with Porcelain Veneers?
I went to see my dentist because I was interested in getting a smile makeover. He suggested I get porcelain veneers but told me that I will want to quit smoking so I don’t stain them. I felt like someone had stuck a pin in the balloon that carried my dream. I was a little confused as well because a friend of mine has porcelain veneers and she smokes. Do you know if there are different brands that work with smoking?
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
I am glad that you wrote. I can understand your confusion. Why is it your friend can smoke with porcelain veneers but not you? The truth is, you can. I am not sure why your dentist said that. In fact, porcelain veneers are more stain resistant than your natural teeth. One thing that smoking will do is stain the edges where the bond meets the tooth. There is a way for your dentist to polish those up as a part of regular maintenance.
I wonder if your dentist is not very comfortable doing porcelain veneers. He may have used the smoking thing as a way to discourage you from a procedure that is not in his wheelhouse. I would look for a different dentist to do you smile makeover. It is quite common for a person to have a dentist for general dental work and a dentist for cosmetic work. You will have better results from someone who does a lot of cosmetic work. In fact, I would ask to see some before and after pictures of work they’ve done so you can make sure they get decent results.
A step you can take is to brush your teeth with Supersmile Toothpaste. Unlike other whitening toothpastes that damage your teeth with abrasives (something you definitely do not want to do with your smile makeover), it uses a protein pelicle to safely remove surface stains from your dental work.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.