My dentist thinks I should whiten my teeth before getting porcelain veneers. I thought that porcelain veneers could make your teeth any color, so what is the point of whitening them if the veneers can do that themselves?
Alison J.- Little Rock, AR
Alison,
You are right that porcelain veneers can change the color of your teeth. They can also change the shape and size of your teeth as well. The issue your dentist is referring to has to do with the teeth that will not get veneers placed on them.
You won’t put porcelain veneers on every one of your teeth. That would be unnecessarily costly. However, you want your non-veneered teeth to match the teeth that are getting the makeover. In order for that to happen, you’ll want to use teeth whitening on your teeth ahead of time.
Whiten your teeth to the shade you are going to want for your smile makeover. Then once your veneers are on you’ll have a perfect match without spending a fortune on porcelain you don’t need. So, while it may have seemed to you that your dentist was trying to charge you for an unecessary procedure, he was actually trying to save you money.
This blog is brought to you by Bridgewater Dentist Dr. Mike Mavrostomos.