Aftercare
Veneer care tips — daily maintenance after Picasso treatment
Daily care guide for NZ patients with Emax Press porcelain veneers from Picasso — brushing, flossing, foods, whitening, night guards, and what to report early.
NZ patients with Emax Press porcelain veneers from Picasso should brush twice daily with a low-abrasive fluoride paste (RDA below 70), floss at veneer margins daily, wear a custom hard-acrylic night guard if prescribed, and attend a professional hygiene appointment every 6 months; the Emax veneer warranty runs 7 years; May 2026.
Emax Press porcelain veneers are among the most durable cosmetic restorations in dentistry, but they are not indestructible and they are not maintenance-free. The difference between a veneer that performs well for 12–15 years and one that needs remediation at 5 years usually comes down to a few consistent daily habits. This page sets out exactly what those habits are.
The first 48–72 hours after bonding
The bonding cement that secures a veneer to your prepared tooth surface reaches its full cure strength over approximately 24 hours, and the tooth itself can be mildly reactive for 2–3 days as it responds to the preparation and the cement.
During this window:
- Eat soft foods only. Nothing requiring biting force or tearing with the front teeth.
- Avoid sharp temperature transitions — very hot food followed immediately by very cold drink creates thermal stress on fresh cement.
- Some sensitivity is normal and expected. Take any analgesics the clinic prescribed rather than waiting out discomfort.
- Sleep with your head slightly elevated on an extra pillow if there is any residual tenderness.
- Do not skip brushing — clean your other teeth normally. Avoid direct pressure on the newly bonded teeth until sensitivity resolves.
If sensitivity is severe, increasing rather than reducing, or extends beyond two weeks, contact Picasso and book with your NZ dentist.
Daily brushing — what to use and what to avoid
Recommended: an electric brush with a soft, round-head on a gentle or sensitive pressure setting. Pair it with a low-abrasive fluoride toothpaste — one with a Relative Dentine Abrasivity (RDA) score below 70 is ideal. Standard fluoride pastes without whitening or abrasive claims generally fall in this range.
Avoid:
- Charcoal whitening pastes. Charcoal is highly abrasive (RDA often above 100) and dulls the porcelain glaze over time.
- Baking soda pastes. Similarly abrasive on the glaze and on the composite cement at the margin.
- Whitening toothpastes that list abrasive silica as a key active ingredient.
- Stiff manual brushes. Bristle stiffness combined with over-pressure erodes the composite cement at the gum margin, which is the most vulnerable point of any veneer.
Brush for two minutes, twice daily. Angle the brush head at 45 degrees to reach the gum margin — this is where food debris and bacteria accumulate and where margin decay begins.
Flossing with veneers — technique matters
Floss is not optional with veneers. The tooth surface beneath and beside the veneer is still natural tooth structure, still susceptible to decay, and still in contact with adjacent teeth. The bonding margin at the gum line is the most vulnerable point for bacterial penetration.
Thread floss through the contact point from the side — not snapped down from above. A forceful downward snap can put lateral stress on the bonding margin, particularly in the first weeks after placement. Floss threaders make side-entry easier for tight contacts. Interdental brushes (sized to your contact spaces) are a good alternative for patients who find floss difficult to handle.
Aim to clean underneath the contact point and gently along each side of the margin. Do not force floss below the gum margin — the veneer edge sits at or just below the gum line in most Emax preparations, and aggressive sub-gingival flossing can irritate the tissue.
Foods and habits that damage veneers
Porcelain is hard but brittle. The failure mode for porcelain veneers is not wear — it is fracture under concentrated force.
Foods to approach with care permanently:
- Whole hard fruits (apples, pears) — cut into wedges and eat with back teeth.
- Crusty bread and hard rolls — tear with fingers, not front teeth.
- Ice — never chew it.
- Bones in meat or fish — do not bite down on them accidentally.
- Hard nuts bitten directly.
Habits to stop permanently:
- Nail biting.
- Pen, pencil, or straw chewing.
- Opening packaging or bottle caps with teeth.
- Biting through thick threading or cord.
Regarding staining: coffee, red wine, and turmeric do not stain the porcelain surface itself. They can gradually tint the composite cement at the margin over years, causing a thin line of discolouration at the gum edge. The practical response is good margin hygiene and regular professional cleaning — not avoiding coffee entirely.
Whitening — what works and what doesn’t
Peroxide whitening agents — whether in professional trays, over-the-counter strips, or whitening toothpastes — do not lighten porcelain. The shade of your Emax veneers was chosen and fixed during the Portrait Sitting before preparation; it is locked into the ceramic material and will not respond to bleaching chemistry.
What this means practically:
- Applying whitening treatments on top of veneers has no effect on the veneers, but will lighten your natural teeth behind and beside them.
- Over time, if your natural teeth whiten and the veneers do not shift, a shade mismatch can become visible.
- If your natural teeth have yellowed relative to your veneers after some years, the path forward is either to accept the difference or to renew the veneers with a fresh shade match.
The practical recommendation is to maintain the shade of your natural teeth at a stable level — neither aggressive bleaching nor significant yellowing — so the visual relationship between veneered and natural teeth stays consistent.
Night guard — the single most important long-term habit
Bruxism — habitual grinding or clenching, usually during sleep — is the leading non-traumatic cause of veneer fracture. The forces generated during bruxism can be 3–10 times those of normal chewing, and they are applied laterally across porcelain surfaces that are designed primarily for vertical biting loads.
A custom hard-acrylic night guard distributes these forces across the full arch rather than concentrating them on individual veneer incisal edges. A guard fitted from precise impressions also maintains the vertical dimension established during your veneer treatment — preventing the slow collapse of bite that can follow unmanaged bruxism.
If Picasso prescribed a night guard, wear it every night from night one of returning home. If you were not prescribed one and you suspect you grind (morning jaw ache, chipped molars, partner reporting noise), raise it at your first NZ dentist appointment. The cost of a NZ-fabricated night guard (typically NZD 300–700) is modest compared to replacing fractured porcelain.
Note: a sports mouthguard is a different appliance — thicker, softer, designed for impact rather than grinding. If you play contact sport, you need both.
Six-monthly hygiene visits
Attend a professional clean every 6 months. At each appointment:
- Tell the hygienist: “I have Emax Press porcelain veneers — please use a fine rubber cup polish on the veneer surfaces rather than a gritty prophy paste, and avoid ultrasonic scaling directly on the veneer bodies.”
- Ensure the hygienist checks the gum margin around each veneer for early signs of recession or margin staining.
- If your dentist is reviewing at the same visit, ask for a check of the bite — contact points on veneers can shift subtly over time as natural teeth continue their minor physiological movements.
If any hygienist or dentist tells you the veneers need to be replaced based on appearance alone without clinical evidence of failure, get a second opinion or ask Picasso directly. Visual judgements about overseas work vary widely.
What to watch for and report early
Contact Picasso ([email protected]) or your NZ dentist promptly if you notice:
- Sensitivity that has not settled by two weeks post-bonding.
- A veneer that chips — even a small chip should be assessed early; a small repair is far simpler than a full remake.
- A veneer that feels slightly loose or flexible when you bite.
- A dark or discoloured line forming at the gum margin — this often indicates margin decay beginning underneath.
- Gum recession that exposes a noticeable step between the veneer edge and the tooth below.
- Any colour change at the margin area.
See also: How long do porcelain veneers last · Night guards and bruxism · Chipped or loose veneer — what to do
Next step
For warranty questions or urgent issues, contact [email protected]. For the full SmileCare warranty terms see /warranty/. To read more about the veneer materials and treatment process, see /veneers/.
About this page
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Emily Nguyen
Founding Clinical Director, Picasso Dental Clinic
DDS · Founder and Clinical Director, Picasso Dental Clinic group
Clinical focus: Cosmetic dentistry · Veneers · Smile design
Dr. Emily Nguyen founded Picasso Dental Clinic in 2013 (originally Serenity International Dental Clinic) and led its 2023 rebrand. She sets clinical standards across the group's six branches in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Lat, and personally reviews cosmetic protocols including the Portrait Sitting workflow for veneers and smile makeovers.
Frequently asked questions
What toothpaste is safe for porcelain veneers?
Use a low-abrasive fluoride paste — ideally one with a Relative Dentine Abrasivity (RDA) score below 70. Avoid charcoal whitening pastes, baking soda pastes, and any whitening toothpaste that lists abrasive silica as a primary ingredient. Standard fluoride pastes such as Colgate Total or Sensodyne are generally appropriate. If unsure, ask your NZ dentist to check the RDA of your current paste.
Can I use an electric toothbrush on veneers?
Yes. An electric brush with a soft, round-head is preferable to a stiff manual brush for veneer margins. Use a gentle pressure setting — you are cleaning the gum margin and composite cement edges, not scrubbing the porcelain surface. Excessive force on the margin area over time can erode the luting cement.
Can I whiten my teeth if I have veneers?
Porcelain does not respond to peroxide whitening agents — the shade was set with a Portrait Sitting before preparation and is fixed within the ceramic material. Applying whitening products will not lighten the veneers, but may lighten your natural teeth behind them, creating a shade mismatch. If your natural teeth have shifted shade noticeably over years, contact Picasso to discuss options at your next maintenance visit.
How should I floss with veneers?
Thread floss through the contact from the side — do not snap it down from above in a sawing motion, which can put stress on the bonding margin. Floss threaders or interdental brushes work well for tight contacts. Daily flossing is essential: cavities can still form on the natural tooth underneath a veneer, and margin decay is one of the main reasons veneers need early replacement.
What foods should I permanently avoid with porcelain veneers?
Avoid biting directly into hard foods with your front veneer teeth — crusty bread, whole apples, ice, bones, and hard nuts. Also avoid habits such as nail biting, pen chewing, or opening packaging with your teeth. The porcelain itself is hard but brittle; shear force from biting into something unyielding can chip the incisal edge. You can eat almost anything else — just cut harder foods into pieces and chew with your back teeth where possible.
Do staining foods affect porcelain veneers?
The porcelain surface of an Emax veneer is largely stain-resistant. However, the composite luting cement at the veneer margins can pick up pigment from coffee, red wine, and turmeric over years. This appears as a thin darkening line at the gum edge rather than overall yellowing. Good margin hygiene and regular professional cleaning slow this considerably. The porcelain body itself does not stain under normal conditions.
How should I brief my NZ hygienist about my veneers?
Tell them: 'I have Emax Press porcelain veneers — please avoid ultrasonic scaling directly on the veneer surface where possible, and use a rubber cup with fine polish rather than a gritty prophy paste on the veneer bodies.' Most hygienists are familiar with this protocol. If they are not, it is worth finding one who is, as repeated use of coarse polishing paste on porcelain can dull the glaze over time.
What early signs should I watch for and report?
Contact Picasso ([email protected]) or book with your NZ dentist promptly if you notice: sensitivity that does not resolve after two weeks post-bonding; a veneer that chips, feels rough on the tongue, or feels slightly mobile; a visible dark line at the gum margin (possible margin decay); gum recession exposing the veneer edge; or a noticeable colour change at the margin area. Small problems caught early are repairable; ignored, they become more complex.