Since my adult teeth came in, the bottom half of my two front teeth have been very white. I’ve kind of liked how they made me look in pictures, but when I am in person my teeth do not look like they match. Is there a way to get them all the same color that doesn’t require Lumineers? That is what my dentist is suggesting, but it is incredibly expensive. I was hoping there was a way to whiten the the rest of my teeth to match those two front teeth. Is that possible?
Erin
Dear Erin,
Teeth Bleaching Trays
Yes, it is possible to whiten the remainder of your teeth and leave these two alone. It will take an expert cosmetic dentist to supervise this, though. He or she will need to cut the area where your front teeth are away from the whitening trays. Your dentist’s suggestion of Lumineers makes me think they may not have the expertise. This is a brand of porcelain veneers that is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists.
There are two types of white spots on teeth. The first, is just there from the time the teeth came in. This seems to be what you have and is not an issue. The second is decalcification of your teeth and is actually a precursor to tooth decay. We see this a lot with people who have their braces removed. It is often tricky to get the teeth adequately cleaned with all those metal wires and brackets, so we see this decalcification when people finish their orthodontics.
Those can be fixed with some dental bonding, but again, it would require an expert cosmetic dentist. It is an advanced procedure that has to be done freehand.
Your teeth whitening plan is a good one.
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