Tetracycline Stains and No Money for Porcelain Veneers
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I’ve had tetracycline stains for most of my life. Ten years ago, I asked my dentist if I could whiten my teeth to get rid of the stains. He told me that the only solution for tetracycline stains is porcelain veneers. I priced those and there is not a chance in the world I will be able to afford that. My smile is so humiliating to me that I never do it. Is there a chance that teeth whitening has improved enough in the last ten years to make a difference?
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
While porcelain veneers are still the best solution for tetracycline stains, you can make a decent difference by using teeth whitening. Make sure you use take home teeth whitening trays instead of something like Zoom Whitening. Zoom would take too many sessions and you are trying to save money.
While you can make a difference with the bleaching, you will have to be persistent. You will get the best results if you can wear the trays overnight. If you can’t tolerate the bleaching for that long, then just wear them during the day for as long as you can. I would plan on bleaching for several months but it will make a difference.
As I mentioned at the beginning, porcelain veneers will give you a much better result. My recommendation is that you start with the whitening while you save up for the veneers. However, you would need to have them done by a skilled cosmetic dentist. Dental school will not be enough. You will want someone with post doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry. This is especially true when it comes to tetracycline stains. They are one of the most challenging cases there are.
You’ll want to ask if they’ve done these type of cases before. If they haven’t, look for someone else. If they say they have done them, then ask to see before and after images of the cases so that you can get an idea whether or not the results are beautiful and something that you would be proud to have yourself.
This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.