If you want a whiter smile, and are dissatisfied by store-bought whiteners, the obvious next step is a professional whitening treatment…or is it? Many patients do see impressive results after this cosmetic dental treatment. However, some patients will need a different form of care from their dentist. This is because they suffer from what is termed intrinsic discoloration, where an internal tooth problem leads to discoloration. There are alternative treatments that can help in these situations. If you want to improve your smile, and want to make sure you take the proper approach, schedule a consultation with your dentist. They can help you determine what might best fit your needs.
Questions:
True Or False: Discoloration can stem from extrinsic and intrinsic causes – both causes can be addressed with a dental whitening treatment.
True Or False: You can hide dental damage, misshapen teeth, and even odd overlaps or gaps in your smile with porcelain veneers. Unfortunately, veneers do nothing to improve the color of your teeth.
True Or False: A dental bonding treatment can help you hide discoloration a tooth can suffer after an accident.
Answers:
False! Your teeth can lose their whiteness because of extrinsic or intrinsic causes, but a conventional teeth whitening treatment is meant to address extrinsic stains.
False! Porcelain veneers can help improve the color of your teeth. In fact, this is a way for many patients to address intrinsic discoloration, while also dealing with other smile flaws they want to hide.
True! When your tooth responds to an injury by producing more dentin, its color can change. Dental bonding is often used to cover minor chips and cracks, and it can help with injury-based discoloration.
