Listen to Your Dentist When They Recommend Wisdom Teeth Extraction

When patients consider getting veneers, one of their key worries is often that they'll chip their veneers and end up needing to have them replaced. Some worry that they'll never be able to enjoy their favorite foods again for fear of chipping their veneers. Often, worries like these are unwarranted. It's harder to chip a veneer than you might think, and if you do accidentally chip one, your dentist can replace it pretty easily.

If you're considering getting veneers to camouflage a discolored, chipped or oddly angled tooth, here's what you need to know about the chipping issue.

An experienced cosmetic dentist can reduce the likelihood of chipping by shaping the veneers properly.

Dentists who have a lot of experience placing veneers know exactly how to angle them and fix them to your teeth so that they don't accidentally catch on the food you're eating and end up chipping. Your risk of chips may be higher if you have your veneers applied by a general dentist rather than someone who specializes in cosmetic procedures.

New veneers are less prone to chipping.

If you know someone who had veneers applied 20 years ago and  had problems with chipping, don't worry that your experience will be the same. Veneers have been greatly improved over the last decade, and today's best brands are made by highly skilled ceramists who know how to shape the material so that it does not chip so easily.

You really only have to avoid the hardest foods to minimize the risk of chipping.

Yes, you can still enjoy your potato chips, peanuts and carrots. You should, however, avoid crunching on hard candies and opening pistachios with your teeth. When you do eat crunchy foods, just make sure you chew them with your back teeth, and you shouldn't have to worry about chips.

If you chip a veneer, you can have it replaced within a few days.

Contact a dentist (such as one from Carpenter Dental, Charles M. Carpenter DMD, and Chas M. Carpenter DMD) immediately if you chip a veneer, and he or she will likely call you into the office to examine the damage. There's no need to panic— your tooth will be okay if left bare for a couple of days until you get a new veneer. If the chip was small and you were able to save the lost piece, a cosmetic dentist may even be able to repair your veneer, rather than replacing it entirely.

Chipping a veneer is not as common as you might think, and if it does occur, it's not a dental emergency. Don't let fear of chips keep you from achieving the smile of your dreams with veneers.