What Chicago residents should know about teeth whitening with veneers

Teeth whitening is one of the fastest and simplest ways to improve an unattractive smile. For most people, just one office visit, or a couple weeks of at-home treatment, and the light is on. However, it's not always so simple. That is one of the reasons that the ADA (American Dental Association) recommends consulting a dentist, even if you are considering over-the-counter whitening products. For example, did you know that if you have a few veneers, you could end up with a two-tone smile after bleaching, because your natural teeth will suddenly be lighter?

The good, bad, and ugly of dental porcelain

Veneers are usually made of dental porcelain, which has a nearly limitless list of good points. One of the great benefits is stain-resistance. Whereas tooth enamel gradually darkens over time, porcelain tends to retain its color. And that leads us to the bad point of porcelain; it is equally resistant to bleaching products.

Where does the ugly come in? Hopefully, it doesn't. However, if your veneers were made by a dentist with sub-par skills, or they are old, you could have a problem. Old veneers might be dark for a few reasons:

• Ultra-white smiles are trendy today, but that wasn't the case 15 or 20 years ago. You may have been happy with the shade at the time, and now you want something different.
• Dental materials have improved dramatically over the years. Simply put, veneers created today look better and more natural than those of the past.
• Depending on the thickness and translucency of the porcelain, the natural tooth color shows through. Age, oral injury, and other factors can cause the tooth to darken, in turn, darkening the veneer.

The solution

The only way to lighten dark veneers is to replace them. This might be unfortunate if you were looking for a faster solution, but veneers only take a few weeks to complete. Additionally, you are likely to find additional benefits, as modern dental materials are incredibly beautiful and natural looking. In the skilled hands of our cosmetic dentists, a dental veneer is nothing short of an artistic masterpiece. Patients who have old veneers replaced are usually pleasantly surprised at the amount of difference it makes.

Call us at 773-772-8400 and schedule an appointment to learn more about how we can give you the brilliant smile of your dreams.