I have four porcelain veneers placed on my teeth. I asked for them to be really white, which they are, but wasn’t thinking about how dark the teeth next to them would look. Is there a way for me to whiten them with something like Crest Whitestrips?
Evie
Dear Evie,
Professional Teeth Whitening Trays
I have a solution for you but I want to address your smile makeover first. Most smiles are eight to ten teeth wide, so four porcelain veneers will make your non-veneered teeth quite obvious. Because of the difference in color, it can even make the veneered teeth look fake. Don’t beat yourself up about not knowing this. It was your dentist’s job to point this out. When a patient cannot get enough teeth to cover their smile, teeth whitening is recommended before the veneers are placed. That is too late for you now, but that doesn’t mean this can be worked around.
Though, Crest Whitestrips will whiten teeth, I do not recommend them in this situation. First, the gel that they use are much weaker because they are over-the-counter. Second, they are only designed to cover your front four to six teeth, depending on the size of your teeth. Those are the veneered teeth and not what you want to whiten. It won’t damage them, but it is pretty useless.
My suggestion is that you go to your dentist and have him custom design teeth whitening trays to fit around your porcelain veneers. This will allow you to whiten your teeth much more quickly while protecting your gums and avoiding your veneers.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.