Veneers for Tooth Discoloration

At its brightest and most brilliant, your smile can light up a whole room. But if your teeth are stained or discolored, it can be distracting and embarrassing in social situations. People either have to pretend not to notice, or you have to work to keep your smile hidden. Either way, it’s uncomfortable and unnatural. If you’re eager to restore your smile to its natural brilliance so you can share it freely, you may want to consider dental veneers for tooth discoloration.

What are dental veneers?
Dental veneers are wafer-thin porcelain shells placed over the front surface of teeth to improve their size, shape, proportion, or color. Veneers can be used to correct the appearance of a range of cosmetic dental issues, including chipped teeth, gapped teeth, and even minor misalignment. They also help to provide structural support for teeth with weakened, fractured, or chipped enamel. But one of the most common reasons most people get dental veneers is to correct tooth discoloration. Whether you have one discolored tooth or eight, dental veneers can be customized for a perfect fit and color-matched for a seamless and natural-looking appearance.

Veneers for tooth discoloration
When it comes to tooth discoloration, veneers are not the only solution available. Teeth whitening is a popular option as well. Your dentist can whiten your teeth several shades in a single session, so if you’re in a hurry to brighten your smile, teeth whitening might be the answer—but it only works if your tooth discoloration is extrinsic (caused by habits like smoking, or by foods and beverages that stain).

Intrinsic stains, those caused by dental trauma, medications, or genetics, are typically permanent and don’t respond to teeth whitening. Intrinsic stains can, however, be hidden by dental veneers. It’s important to choose the right veneers, though. Certain “no-prep” veneers are ultra thin, less reliable, and may not cover stains as effectively as standard veneers.

In addition to correcting tooth discoloration, dental veneers can simultaneously correct a range of other cosmetic imperfections and provide teeth with additional structural support. And unlike teeth whitening, which lasts only 2 to 3 years, dental veneers can last up to 15 to 20 years or more with proper care.

Dental veneers procedure
The process for dental veneers requires two visits to our dentist’s office in Rancho Bernardo. During the first visit, Dr. Salami prepares the teeth by removing a small amount of tooth enamel in order to accommodate the veneers. She then makes impressions of the mouth and teeth so the master ceramicist can customize a perfect-fitting veneer or set of veneers. In the meantime, you’ll be sent home with a temporary set of veneers and called back to our office when your permanent ones are ready.

During the second visit, your teeth are cleaned and polished, and the veneers are adhered to the surface with a special adhesive. After any necessary adjustments are made, a high intensity light is used to harden the adhesive and strengthen the bond. Your customized dental veneers are created to your exact color, shape, and size specifications. This means they’ll not only correct your tooth discoloration, but you can also use them to create a more uniform appearance to your teeth, adjust your tooth proportions, close gaps between your teeth, or otherwise completely transform your smile. These are all decisions you’ll need to make in the earlier stages of your veneer process, but by the end of the second visit, you’ll walk out of our offices with a brand new, bright, and beautiful smile that you’ll want to share wherever you go.

Important note about dental veneers and teeth whitening
Just as dental veneers do not stain, they also do not respond to teeth whitening. So if you have a dental veneer or several dental veneers, they will remain white and bright, but the teeth around them may not. For any teeth whitening done after your veneers are placed, the dentist can adjust the whitening to match the color of your veneers,but if you are planning to whiten, it’s usually easiest to do so before your veneers are color-matched, created, and affixed to your teeth.

Are dental veneers the right choice for your tooth discoloration?
If you live in Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Escondido, or the surrounding areas and you want to brighten your smile so you can share it with confidence, dentist Dr. Pegah Salami can help you decide whether dental veneers are the best solution for your tooth discoloration. When you come in for a consultation, she’ll take a look at your teeth, listen to your concerns, and discuss your options with you.

Give us a call at (858) 673-1000 to schedule your dental veneers consultation today.