I have four porcelain veneers. They look great, but my adjacent teeth are looking their age. If I got some Crest Whitestrips, will it be okay to use them to whiten the non-veneered teeth or will they damage my porcelain veneers?
Brooke
Dear Brooke,
Most smiles are so wide that patients will need between 8-10 porcelain veneers. However, that is out of reach for some budgets. When that happens, dentists should tell their patients to have teeth whitening done first in order to get their adjacent teeth to blend with their new color.
If you’re in need of a touch-up or your dentist never had you take that preliminary step, you can still get your teeth whitened. Be assured it won’t damage your porcelain veneers. I’m not sure you’re going to be happy with the Crest Whitestrips though.
Unlike professional teeth whitening trays, which are custom-fit to your bite and cover all your teeth, the Whitestrips are just a tape treated with whitening gel. They will only cover the front few teeth. For you, that might only be your veneered teeth. You could cut them in half and put them on each side or use two.
Even with that, though, they’re not very strong. You’d have to go through a ton of boxes before you got to the level of whitening you likely have with your porcelain veneers.
The smarter way to go is to have your dentist do professional teeth whitening. You’ll get superior results faster, in a more comfortable fashion. You won’t have to see a cosmetic dentist for this. The procedure is very straightforward and any general dentist could likely do it.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.