How Diet Affects Temporary Veneers

Before you can have your veneers fitted, you need some prep work done. Your dentist usually gets your teeth ready for veneers and then makes a mould that is used as a guide to make the veneers.

As you'll have some of your enamel removed during this stage, your teeth need to be covered until your veneers are ready. So, your dentist will fit temporary veneer shells on your teeth. When your permanent dental veneers are ready, you have the temporary shells removed.

While temporary veneers are strong, they aren't glued on to your teeth as strongly as permanent ones. Your dentist needs to remove these shells easily when he or she switches them over. So you need to be careful what you eat while you're wearing interim veneers to avoid breaking them off or damaging them.

How will this affect your diet?

Avoid Damaging Foods

Some foods may pull off temporary veneers or make them crack or break. It's best to avoid eating anything that is hard, crunchy or particularly chewy. Foods like crusty breads, doughy pizzas and tough meats can force off a temporary veneer. If you are going to eat something that might damage a veneer, try to cut up the food before you eat it. For example, eating apple slices is less likely to be a problem than eating an apple whole.

To be safe, try to stick to softer foods and snacks. Chicken is typically a good meat here, especially if you serve it in a stew or sauce in small pieces. Fish, pasta, potatoes and eggs are also usefully soft.

Avoid Staining Foods

Some temporary veneers may be more prone to staining than the ones you'll wear permanently. If your dentist warns you that your interim veneers may stain or discolour, then it's worth avoiding colourful foods or drinks. Things like tomato sauces, curries, berries, and stir-fries that contain soy sauce may discolour temporary teeth quickly. This would give you an interesting smile, to say the least. If you stick to a white or pale food diet, you are less likely to see any stain problems.

Remember that food is not the only thing that might damage temporary veneers. While you have them on, try not to bite your nails or to chew pencils or pen tops.

Have a chat with your dentist about good and bad foods when you have your temporary veneers fitted. They can also give you other pointers on how to keep these shells in place until your permanent veneers are ready.