Stained Teeth from Smoking? Try Porcelain Veneers
It’s no secret that smoking has adverse effects on your health. Dental discoloration is one consequence that often goes overlooked, but cigarettes and other tobacco products can leave stains on the teeth. The longer you have smoked, the darker your stains may be. While teeth whitening can reduce cigarette stains, porcelain veneers offer even more dramatic results. If you choose porcelain veneers, it is important that you quit smoking to maintain your treatment results. Of course, doing so can have other vital benefits for your oral and systemic health. Dr. Wilderman will explain more about porcelain veneers and smoking at his Philadelphia, PA practice, and help you choose the treatment that is right for you.
How Smoking Stains the Teeth
When you use cigarettes, you will drag the smoke directly across your teeth. The dark colored tar will then adhere to your dental enamel, causing stains. Additionally, colorless nicotine becomes yellow when exposed to air. Therefore, this substance can contribute to dental discoloration.
How Veneers Can Address Smoking Stains
Teeth whitening can be an effective way to reduce tooth stains caused by smoking. Nevertheless, even the most effective whitening treatment may not fully eradicate discoloration. Veneers, on the other hand, will completely conceal stains, giving you a white, stunning smile.
To place veneers, Dr. Wilderman will first buff your teeth to remove a very thin layer of enamel. In this way, he can help the veneers lie flat against your teeth. Then he will take impressions of your teeth, which our technician will use to create the veneers. While you are waiting, Dr. Wilderman will fit you with temporary veneers. When the final veneers are finished, he will remove the temporaries and attach the permanent ones with composite resin.
How Will Future Smoking Affect Your Veneers?
Dental porcelain is impervious to stains, so smoking will not affect your veneers. However, the cigarette smoke can stain the composite used to attach the porcelain. If you continue to smoke, this material may become discolored, creating a yellow or brown tinge at the edges of your teeth.
Smoking and Your General Oral-Physical Health
When you quit smoking, it can have other important oral health benefits. First, smoking can lead to gum disease. The smoke compromises your immune system so that you are not able to fight off oral bacteria. Thus, bacterial pockets can quickly build up in your gums, leading to tissue recession, tooth loss, and bone degeneration. Even more alarmingly, smoking is the leading cause of oral cancer. In addition to dragging smoke across your teeth, you also draw it across your gum tissue. The carcinogens can then cause tissue mutations and irregular cell divisions.
Of course, smoking has other effects for your overall health, including an increased risk for lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, lung disease, and many other serious concerns. Thus, quitting can improve your appearance, health, and complete quality of life.
Contact Dr. Wilderman’s Office Today
If you are ready to quit smoking and you want to celebrate with a rejuvenated smile, contact our office to find out if veneers are right for you.
