One of the most common complaints people have about the appearance of their smile is that their teeth are discolored. Normally, teeth whitening is chosen to address this problem. However, teeth whitening is not the only way to brighten your teeth.
In fact, there are some situations where veneers might be a better choice to give you the bright, beautiful smile you’re looking for. Here’s why.
Not All Stains Respond to Whitening
The truth is that teeth whitening works very well to address a certain type of staining, but may not impact other kinds.
Most teeth become discolored because of extrinsic staining: stain particles from food and drink like coffee, chocolate, or wine get trapped in your teeth. Cigarette smoke and chewing tobacco can also stain teeth. Teeth whitening breaks down these stains, removing them and helping your smile to look bright white again.
But this isn’t the only reason your teeth might be discolored. Some teeth can be discolored because their enamel is damaged, such as by acidic erosion. This lets the darker layers of the tooth interior show through. Other discoloration may be related to defects in the enamel, such as fluorosis. Sometimes, metal fillings can make an entire tooth turn dark. Teeth whitening won’t improve these stains.
In many cases, veneers might be the best choice to brighten your smile. Sometimes, though, we might recommend crowns if your teeth need more support and protection, especially if we have to remove old fillings.
Not All Teeth Are Equally Bright
On the other hand, it might be that your teeth do respond to whitening but they don’t get as bright as you would like. This could be because your enamel isn’t as bright as you might like.
Although the ideal for tooth enamel is white, it actually comes in a range of colors. When you use teeth whitening, your teeth will only get as white as your natural enamel allows. If this isn’t as white as you want, it may be time to consider veneers or crowns for whitening your smile. They can be made as white as you desire, tempered only by our desire to make them look natural and attractive.
There Are More Goals Than Whitening
For many people, discoloration isn’t the only complaint you may have about the appearance of your smile. You may be unhappy because your teeth are short, crooked, crowded, gapped, worn, or chipped, too.
Teeth whitening won’t fix any of those concerns, but veneers will. Veneers can reshape your teeth as well as brighten them. With one procedure, you can straighten, rebuild, and lengthen your teeth to get an entirely new smile that you’ll love.
Let Us Help You Find the Best Whitening
If you are looking to brighten your smile and feel like you might need more than simple teeth whitening, you should look for a cosmetic dentist who knows how to utilize the full range of cosmetic dentistry tools to achieve the results you’re looking for.
To learn more, please call (912) 234-8282 today for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.
