You love the look of a bright healthy smile. That’s one reason why you got porcelain or plastic veneers. However, over time you’ve noticed that your teeth veneers seem to be getting dingy and discolored. Can a cosmetic dentist in Chicago help whiten your veneers? Sometimes it can be done, depending on the cause of discoloration. By getting a dental check-up as soon as possible, your dentist can discover the cause of your veneers’ discoloration.
Be Sure to Tell Your Dentist
During your check-up, be sure to let the dentist know what medications you take or if you have any health conditions. Some medications like antihistamines can discolor teeth and a whitening procedure may not help. You also want to let your dentist know if you took antibiotics when you had your baby teeeth. Some antibiotics can cause teeth to be permanently yellow.
Stains
Plastic veneers can become stained. If they are lightly stained, your cosmetic dentist should be able to polish the stains off of the veneers. Porcelain veneers don’t become stained. If they become discolored, it’s because the tooth that they are attached to has problems such as cavities that need attention. Sometimes the back of the tooth can be whitened by your cosmetic dentist, but not the porcelain veneers themselves.
Getting Veneers Remade
The most effective way of brightening your veneers is simply to get new veneers made. The dentist can also check the health of your teeth under the veneers to see if they can be whitened before the new veneers go on. The dentist can make the veneers slightly darker or lighter so that they blend in with the natural color of your mouth. Many people like to use thin veneers like Lumineers because they can be replaced much easier than replacing porcelain veneers.
Warning
Do not use over the counter whitening strips, gels or soaks when wearing veneers. These products usually include bleach. Bleach and veneers do not combine well. The bleach may turn the veneers a vivid white, making the rest of your teeth dingy in comparison. It may also cause stripes or spots to appear on the veneers.
