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Advanced cosmetic and general dentistry

Are Veneers My Only Option for Tetracycline-Stained Teeth?

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I am increasingly self-conscious about tetracycline stains on my teeth. It is embarrassing to try to explain it to people who seem distracted by my teeth and unable to concentrate on our conversation. Last month, I had a consultation with a cosmetic dentist who recommended porcelain veneers. The cost of $20,000 – $30,000 would heavily impact my savings. My teeth and self-esteem are worth it, but I am interested in knowing whether I have other options. – Thank you. Aaron from Georgia

Aaron,

Thank you for your question.

The cost quoted to you is reasonable for premier porcelain veneers from a skilled dentist. We will explain more about the treatment for tetracycline stains.

Do Porcelain Veneers Work for Tetracycline Stains?

Photo of dental forceps holding a single porcelain veneers, from the office of accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek of Lowell, MA.

Porcelain veneer

Concealing tetracycline stains with porcelain veneers takes advanced training, skill, and artistry from a cosmetic dentist. If you find a dentist with low fees who claims to be able to hide the stains, you can count on getting inferior results. The stains may show through the veneers, or the veneers may look opaque or pasty, making it evident that you had dental work. But an advanced cosmetic dentist and adept ceramist can produce incredible results with veneers.

Will Bonding or Teeth Whitening Help Tetracycline Stains?

Whether dental bonding or teeth whitening will help tetracycline stains depends on the severity of stains and a dentist’s skill and experience.

  • Dental bonding – The skill and precision it takes a cosmetic dentist to blend composites and apply them to your teeth to hide tetracycline stains can be more costly than porcelain veneers.
  • Teeth whitening – A skilled cosmetic dentist may recommend a high-strength whitening system to improve tetracycline stains, but the results will not be as effective as porcelain veneers. Bleaching treatment is a tiny fraction of the cost of porcelain veneers.

Request Another Consultation for Tetracycline Stains

Comparing your options can help you understand whether you are making the right decision regarding cosmetic dentistry. We recommend scheduling another consultation with an accredited cosmetic dentist to examine your x-rays and teeth. The second opinion can clarify which treatment will give you results that help you feel good about your smile.

Best wishes.

Dr. Michael Szarek, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Lowell, Massachusetts, sponsors this post.

Tetracycline stains and chipped dental bonding

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My dentist covered my tetracycline stains with dental bonding five years ago. Now the bonding is dull and starting to chip. I searched the cost of porcelain veneers and even found some online price ranges on dental websites. But I cannot afford veneers. Is there a way to whiten the bonding, or will I have to replace it all? I’m at a new dentist now (since last year), and I would like to know my options before they try to upsell me. Thank you. Fatu from Boston

Fatu,

Thank you for your inquiry. We will provide some information about tetracycline stains and your cosmetic dentistry options.

What Causes Tetracycline Stains in Teeth?

Tetracycline stains develop if you take the antibiotic as a child while your permanent teeth are forming. As a result, deposits in your tooth dentin (layer beneath the enamel) will show up as brown or gray spots or stripes in your teeth.

Treating Tetracycline Stains

An advanced cosmetic dentist can treat tetracycline stains with bleaching treatment, dental bonding, porcelain veneers, or a combination of treatments. But do not try to treat tetracycline stains at home. It can make the stains look even more noticeable.

Dental Bonding for Tetracycline Stains

If you already have dental bonding on your teeth for tetracycline stains, a skilled cosmetic can improve your teeth with these steps:

  • Use sandpaper discs to remove the old bonding
  • Whiten your teeth with a potent bleaching system
  • Apply dental bonding as needed

Dental bonding lasts several years before it needs to be touched up or replaced.

Teeth Whitening

Depending on the severity of the tetracycline stains in your teeth, a dentist may be able to use teeth whitening only to improve the stains. You must use the product as directed. Over-the-counter teeth whitening is not strong enough to affect tetracycline stains, so don’t waste your money on it.

Porcelain Veneers

Photo of dental forceps holding a single porcelain veneers, from the office of accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek of Lowell, MA.

Advanced cosmetic dentists skillfully use porcelain veneers to hid tetracycline stains

An advanced cosmetic dentist knows how to maintain porcelain’s translucence and hide tetracycline stains. Unfortunately, most general or family dentists do not have advanced cosmetic dentistry training. So although they can give you veneers, they might look chalky or pasty if your dentist doesn’t understand how to provide you with natural-looking results.

What If You Cannot Afford a Cosmetic Dentist?

If you cannot afford a cosmetic dentist, we recommend that you start saving money to get one. An expert cosmetic dentist can replace dental bonding or give you beautiful porcelain veneers. But if you are hasty and get cheap dental bonding, you will need to replace it so often that you will likely wish you had waited until you could afford quality work.

Meanwhile, you can schedule a consultation with an advanced or accredited cosmetic dentist to discuss your options. Then you will have a better idea of how to budget for your smile makeover. And you can learn about payment options to make it affordable.

 

Michael Szarek, DMD, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Lowell, MA, sponsors this post.

 

5 Facts About Tetracycline-Stained Teeth that You Shouldn’t Ignore

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Many people are tempted to self-treat severe tetracycline staining by whitening their teeth or asking their family dentist for porcelain veneers. But this aesthetic issue requires much more skill than most dentists have.

1. What Causes Tetracycline Stains on Teeth?

If you took the antibiotic tetracycline as a child while your permanent teeth were still forming, the antibiotic might be discolored. Most likely, your teeth are grayish brown, and in severe cases, they are very dark.

2. Does Teeth Whitening Help Tetracycline Stains?

The KöR whitening system is so powerful that it can lighten tetracycline stains. Other teeth whitening systems are ineffective for these stains. Although KöR might not completely resolve the issue, it’s less expensive than porcelain veneers and can improve your smile. Keep in mind that your cosmetic dentist might not use KöR as treatment, or it might not be an option for your case.

3. Will Porcelain Veneers Help?

Although some dentists try to cover tetracycline stains with porcelain veneers, the results often don’t look good on your smile. There are several reasons:

  • Porcelain needs to be translucent to look natural – But translucency allows the dark stains to show through your veneers.
  • Opaque porcelain veneers don’t look natural either – If a dentist chooses to reduce the translucency in your veneers to conceal tetracycline stains, your teeth will look chalky or pasty.
  • Full coverage is needed – Often, dentists who lack experience in concealing tetracycline stains cover the fronts of the teeth—not the sides. This technique leaves dark shadows on the edges of your teeth.

The above scenarios attract attention to your smile for the wrong reasons. And that’s what you’re already trying to avoid. But in the hands of a skilled dentist, porcelain veneers can transform your smile.

4. Your Choice of Dentist Matters

Photo of dental forceps holding a single porcelain veneers, from the office of accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek of Lowell, MA.

Only advanced cosmetic dentists can conceal tetracycline stains with veneers

Porcelain veneers can conceal tetracycline stains. But it requires the skill of an accomplished cosmetic dentist who understands how to block dark discoloration in your teeth while maintaining translucency in your porcelain veneers. It’s an art that most dentists lack. Aesthetic-driven laboratories craft opalescent porcelains that advanced dentists use to help you smile with confidence.

5. Consult with an Advanced Cosmetic Dentist

We recommend that you search for an accredited cosmetic dentist. Avoid asking your family dentist to try to resolve this issue for you. Most family dentists will taper your teeth and place porcelain crowns over them. Still, if the stains are very dark, crowns won’t completely conceal the discoloration. An accredited cosmetic dentist will preserve most of your natural tooth structure by treating the tetracycline stains with veneers or KöR whitening if appropriate.

During your consultation and exam, ask the accredited cosmetic dentist a few questions:

  • What treatment will you use to conceal the tetracycline stains in my teeth?
  • What results can I expect?
  • How many cases like mine have you completed?
  • May I see before-and-after photos of tetracycline cases you’ve treated with porcelain veneers or KöR whitening?

Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Michael Szarek, DMD sponsors this post.

4 Challenges of Using Porcelain Veneers for Tetracycline Stains

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Concealing tetracycline stains in teeth is one of the most challenging issues a dentist will ever face. But a highly skilled cosmetic dentist can conceal the stains with porcelain veneers and provide natural-looking results.

What Causes Tetracycline Stains in Teeth?

The stains develop due to taking tetracycline, an antibiotic, during childhood while permanent teeth are forming. Grayish brown stains become deeply embedded in teeth and cause them to look very dark.

Why Is Concealing the Stains So Challenging?

Although the stains can be concealed with porcelain veneers, there are challenges:

  1. Natural teeth have translucency, and porcelain needs to have this same quality to look lifelike.
  2. Tetracycline stains can easily show through translucent veneers.
  3. In an effort to conceal tetracycline stains, a dentist or laboratory technician might make porcelain veneers too opaque. The result is chalky looking teeth.
  4. Due to lack of experience with concealing the stains, some dentists cover only the fronts of teeth. The dark color from the stains can be seen on the edges of teeth.

Achieving the Best Results with Porcelain Veneers

  • Photo of dental forceps holding a single porcelain veneers, from the office of accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek of Lowell, MA.
    Porcelain veneer

Skillful color manipulation is needed to provide natural-looking results. We recommend that you visit a dentist who is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry or a dentist who can show you photographs of his or her own work on a patient’s teeth that had tetracycline stains.

Your treatment plan should include a try-in of the porcelain veneers before they are bonded to your teeth. Otherwise, you should request the try-in to ensure your investment is worthwhile and the results look natural. If you have any hesitation about the look of the veneers—if the tetracycline stains are showing through them—don’t accept them. The dentist and his or her laboratory need to ensure your veneers look natural.

A family dentist who is not skilled in aesthetics will likely offer you porcelain crowns to conceal tetracycline stains. But this treatment requires significant removal of tooth structure on every tooth that needs a crown. Porcelain veneers are more conservative, and a cosmetic dentist can produce beautiful results.

You can schedule consultations with at least two cosmetic dentists who will briefly look at your teeth and discuss the possibilities for concealing the tetracycline stains with porcelain veneers. A full exam will be needed to accurately explain your options and provide a treatment estimate.

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA dentist Dr. Michael Szarek—an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Question on porcelain veneers for tetracycline stained teeth

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I have seen pictures from several dentists of porcelain veneers over tetracycline teeth. In every case, the teeth look way too white and thick. I don’t know what kind of veneers were used. Is there a particular brand I should use so that if I get veneers to cover my tetracycline stains they won’t look fake? Joan K.

Joan – Regardless of the reason that a person wants or needs porcelain veneers, the skill of an artistic cosmetic dentist is required to produce natural looking results.

In attempt to cover tetracycline stains, veneers can end up looking pasty or thick. Only a skilled cosmetic and his or her master ceramist can build in the translucency require to give the veneers a natural appearance, and at the same time cover tetracycline stains. The results depend more upon the skill of the dentist and ceramist than the brand of veneers that are used.

We recommend that you visit an experienced cosmetic dentist to receive an examination. You can discuss your concerns and have your questions answered about concealing your tetracycline stains with porcelain veneers.

This post is sponsored by Lowell accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek