I have porcelain veneers that I really love and I want to take good care of them. I am doing a DIY mouthwash to be safe and want to make sure there are not any ingredients that can hurt my veneers. Here is my recipe:
4 oz. boiled wather
4 oz. hydrogen peroxide
1 T. sea salt
Will this be safe?
Ken
Dear Ken,
I love to hear when patients are happy with their smile makeovers and how well they are caring for their teeth as a result. The ingredients you mentioned will not harm your veneers. However, I would be cautious with using it every day.
Peroxide is great about getting rid of bacteria. The only problem is it is non-discriminating as to which types of bacteria it kills. This means it will take away some of the good bacteria your mouth needs. That can lead to a candida infection for you.
Periodic use, about once a week, and you should be fine. Much more than that and you will risk that yeast growing in your mouth.
Over the Counter Products that Can Damage Porcelain Veneers
There are two main types of products to beware of that can do damage to your lovely porcelain veneers. The first is whitening toothpaste. These kinds of toothpaste typically contain an abrasive to scrub the stains off your teeth. The only problem is they will damage your teeth in the process by putting micro scratches on the surfaces of both your natural tooth structure and your porcelain veneers, this will cause them to pick up stains because they will lose some of their protective glaze.
If you really feel you need a whitening toothpaste, I recommend you get Supersmile Toothpaste. This is specifically designed for cosmetic work and will keep your veneers, as well as your natural teeth, shiny and damage free.
The second is over-the-counter mouthwash. Most of these contain alcohol. This is the one ingredient you want to avoid as it will eat away at the bonding that keeps the veneers on your teeth. I believe Colgate has an alcohol free mouthwash, but I would double-check to make sure the ingredients haven’t changed.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.