One of the most requested cosmetic treatments in our O’Fallon cosmetic dental office is teeth whitening. Clean, white teeth look younger and friendlier, and for many patients, it is fairly easy to achieve the ideal white smile. For most patients, achieving a white smile simply requires regular dental hygiene and some professional teeth bleaching sessions. However, some patients find that teeth bleaching treatments are inadequate for their teeth. Patients with very stubborn stains or, more likely, teeth stained due to the antibiotic tetracycline, may need to look beyond conventional whitening treatments to achieve the white smile of their dreams.
Conventional whitening treatments are designed to bleach the surface layer of the tooth. Consequently, surface stains caused by environmental factors such as foods, drinks, or tobacco can be virtually erased. However, some stains, like tetracycline stains and fluorosis discoloration, are actually embedded in the tooth. Patients with these embedded or calcified stains often benefit from cosmetic treatments that completely cover the tooth’s surface.
Dental veneers can be a useful treatment to cover tetracycline stained teeth. Dental veneers are simply thin layers of multi-dimensional porcelain that are placed over dental enamel. Because veneers completely cover the natural tooth, they can totally change the appearance of a patient’s smile quickly and easily. Another advantage of dental veneers is that they can be used to correct multiple cosmetic problems at once. For example, if you have tetracycline stained teeth that are also uneven, you can achieve a white, straight smile with one cosmetic treatment using veneers.