How Your Daily Aspirin Can Harm Your Veneers
If you have porcelain or resin veneers, then you will want to do everything you can to keep them looking and feeling great. When you seek out cosmetic dentist services for veneers, crowns, bonding, or dental implants, you will need to take care of them like you would your natural teeth.
Certain things that can negatively affect the appearance and fit of your restorations include consuming highly pigmented foods such as coffee and red wine, degenerative conditions of the bone, and even common medications such as aspirin. Here are three ways your daily aspirin can affect your porcelain veneers and what you can do about them:
Acid Erosion
While an occasional aspirin will probably not harm the enamel on your natural teeth or hurt your dental restorations, a daily regimen of aspirin may. Your doctor may have recommended that you take a low dose aspirin tablet every day if you are at a high risk of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot; this can lead to acid erosion problems on your dental enamel, and while you should never stop taking your heart-healthy aspirin without consulting with your physician, you should visit your dentist on a regular basis to determine if your tooth enamel is still healthy. If erosion develops on your natural teeth, you may experience problems with your porcelain veneers or other dental restorations.
Decreased Bone Density
Long-term or high-dose aspirin use can rob your bones of calcium, leading to decreased bone density. While the symptoms of diminished bone density are often felt in your spine and hips, you may notice changes in the bones that support your teeth. When these bones thin or weaken as a result of low density, your dental restorations may not fit properly and even shift out of place.
If you frequently take aspirin, get regular dental checkups so that your dental professional can assess the status of your oral health. If he or she determines that you have a density deficit in the bones that support your teeth, you may be referred back to your primary physician who may recommend that you take a bone density test. In the meantime, talk to your doctor about taking an over-the-counter calcium and vitamin D supplement to help prevent further damage to your teeth and bones.
Gum Retraction
If you are a woman and take a daily aspirin, your circulating estrogen levels may decline. This, in conjunction with menopause, can severely affect your gums and raise your risk for gingivitis and gum retraction.
Consistently low estrogen levels may even heighten your risk of developing periodontitis, a severe type of gum disease that can damage the bones in your mouth. If you notice gum retraction, see your dentist for further evaluation and treatment.
You may also need to see your physician who may recommend that you take a blood test to check your hormone levels. If your estrogen blood tests are low, your health care provider may prescribe estrogen replacement therapy to help bring your levels up. Once estrogen levels have stabilized, you may notice an improvement in the condition of your gums.
If you take a daily aspirin to protect your heart, work with both your dentist and physician. When you work together, you can develop an effective treatment plan to preserve your natural teeth, porcelain veneers, and general state of health. To learn more about cosmetic dentist services, contact a cosmetic dentist near you.