Professional teeth whitening is a great way to uplift your smile, especially if you’re tired of the yellowness embedded in your teeth. However, as wonderful and effective as it is, you cannot whiten your teeth if you have previous dental work done — one with a dental appliance attached to your teeth. For instance, crowns, bridges, implants, and veneers are some restorative and cosmetic dental procedures that may help unify your smile, but they cannot be whitened.
So, what other teeth whitening options are there, specifically for veneers? If you’re asking yourself the same question, wondering how to brighten your old veneers, then look no further! In this blog, you will find everything you’re looking for and more.
Do Veneers Turn Yellow?
While veneers can enhance the appearance of your teeth, making them look straight, white, and bright, they are sadly not prone to getting yellow over time. This is mainly due to certain food items that contain staining materials, such as tomatoes, beetroot, curry, etc. Similarly, carbonated drinks, coffee, red wine, tea, and tobacco are other items that can discolor veneers.
Moreover, the type of veneers you choose also makes a big difference overall. For instance, composite resin is much more likely to get stained, whereas porcelain veneers are dense and don’t absorb stains with that much intensity. However, porcelain veneers have an additional layer of glaze on top, which is what gives them that shine. When this glaze fades, it can make it seem like your veneers are getting duller.
Can You Whiten Veneers?
If you’re thinking of going to the dentist and getting your teeth brightened until they’re gleaming in the dark, you should definitely go for it. But that might not be the best idea if you have veneers and want to whiten your teeth along with the veneers. This is because veneers are made in such a way that dental bleach can’t affect them. Regardless of the material, veneers generally cannot be bleached or whitened.
Teeth Whitening Options For Veneers
Even though you cannot whiten your veneers through dental bleach, there are still other methods you can try after discussing it with your dentist. Some of these alternatives are:
- Replacing The Veneers
If you’ve had your veneers for a very long time and they look extremely shabby, it’s probably better to replace them. This way, you can whiten the rest of your teeth and get a brand-new set of veneers to boost your smile. - Non-abrasive Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
While teeth whitening, in general, won’t work, you can still try out non-abrasive toothpaste. This way, your oral hygiene will be on the top of its game, and you might see viable results. - Professional Polishing
Another much safer alternative is polishing. In fact, if you have veneers, you should get them polished every three to four months by a dentist. It helps them gleam for a very long time, making it seem like they are brand new.
In Summary
Teeth whitening may work wonders for your teeth, but when it comes to veneers, it is a no-go. Instead, you can try to get your veneers polished or replaced for an added shine. For more details on the matter, feel free to contact DentaLand Dentistry at (832) 674-8377 or visit 5003 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77084, located near Subway.