I have these really dark stains on my teeth that my dentist calls tetracycline stains. He said they come from medicine I took when I was a child. He also said the only solution for them is porcelain veneers. I looked into them, but veneers are crazy expensive. Is there anything else I can do that would at least improve the look of the teeth a bit? I just don’t have the kind of money needed for the veneers.
Rosa
Dear Rosa,
Professional Teeth Whitening Trays
While it is true that porcelain veneers are the best solution for tetracycline stains, there is something else you can do which will help. I would get professional teeth whitening done with take home trays. You will have to be persistent and it will take some time, but it will make a difference.
Your teeth won’t be as stunning as they could with porcelain veneers done by an expert cosmetic dentist, but they can look significantly better. You’ll no longer be embarrassed to smile.
What Teeth Whitening NOT To Use For This
While normally Zoom Whitening is a great option for teeth whitening, this is one instance where I am going to recommend against it. That is simply because it will not be cost-effective for you. It would require too many treatments to get it where you would be reasonably happy with your teeth. You can do the same thing with take-home whitening from your dentist at a much more affordable price. It will take longer, but won’t bankrupt you.
The second thing not to do is to use an over-the-counter whitening system. While there are one or two of them that do work, the whitening gel that they use is not nearly strong enough for what you need.
My suggestion is that you start with the whitening gel from your dentist. If you can tolerate wearing it overnight, that will give you the greatest whitening effectiveness. If that is too difficult for you, don’t worry. Just wear the trays for as long as you can each day.
You can save up for porcelain veneers in the meantime. You want to go to an expert cosmetic dentist. Don’t just go with the cheapest you’ve found.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentist Drs. Drake and Wallace.