Can Porcelain Veneers Help with Tetracycline Stains?

Porcelain veneers can be used in multiple ways including being used for cosmetic dentistry to mask tetracyline stains.  There are several factors to consider when using veneers for this type of cosmetic care. The photos show some results that can be achieved:

 

Careful planning is essential to obtain optimal results and a natural result.  Some of the criteria to consider are:

1) How dark are the stains?

2) Is some preparation of the teeth indicated?

3) How do you avoid making the teeth look opaque or “chiclet like”

Question 1) This is important as some stains will bleed or shine through a porcelain veneer.  This affects the planning or smile design as making the veneers to thick to mask the stain looks unnatural

Question 2) There are veneers that are called prepless veneers, these will look huge if used in the wrong case.  The best indication for prepless veneers (Lumineers or Durathin, personally I feel Durathin is much more esthetic) is is the teeth are tipped in or too small. Another factor is when tetracycline stained teeth are prepped often the stains are darker then before.  A technique can be used to block the stains out on the tooth so that the veneers can be made of more natural porcelain

Question 3) This reflects back to both of the above questions.  Proper smile design, masking of the stain on the teeth, and using a natural porcelain not an opaque one will enhance the beauty of the smile

There are many other techniques that can be considered, every case and individual is unique.  The good news is that there are some wonderful ways to achieve beautiful results to help patients with their smiles.

If you have questions regarding Houston Cosmetic Dentist or Houston Porcelain Veneers, please feel free to contact our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF,713-668-2289

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