Porcelain Veneers Or Tooth Whitening?

Have you been embarrassed or withdrawn in either your personal or professional life due to imperfections in your smile? Thankfully, due to numerous advancements in modern dentistry, you have the option of porcelain veneers or various tooth whitening procedures to choose from to enhance your smile.

Difference Between Veneers and Tooth Whitening

While both porcelain veneers and tooth whitening procedures will brighten your smile, there are numerous essential differences between the two:

• Tooth whitening procedures actually lighten your enamel, while a porcelain veneer is a ceramic shell glued to your teeth, giving the impression of healthier teeth
• Porcelain veneers require approximately one millimeter of enamel being shaved off, whereas tooth whitening requires no preparation
• Tooth whitening can be done either in-office or with a take home bleaching kit

When Are Porcelain Veneers Appropriate?

Porcelain veneers are a thin, ceramic shell attached to your teeth. While tooth whitening procedures will only serve to whiten your teeth, porcelain veneers can simultaneously address numerous smile imperfections, such as:

• Gaps between your teeth
• Cracked or chipped teeth
• Discolored enamel
• Crooked or unevenly shaped teeth

Basically, porcelain veneers are a non-invasive, total smile makeover. If a brighter smile is your only concern, than having your teeth whitened is your best plan of action. However, if improving your oral health is a factor in your decision, porcelain veneers offer many advantages:

• Teeth that are already damaged are protected from further harm, thus minimizing the possibility of additional, invasive dental work in the future
• If regularly consume tea, coffee, cigarettes, red wine or other staining agents, porcelain veneers will provide you with a brighter smile for longer, as they’re resistant to staining

Even if aesthetics are your only concern, if you have gaps between, or cracks in, your teeth, porcelain veneers can kill two birds with one stone.

Additionally, you must consider your age. If you’re forty or older, the likelihood is teeth whitening procedures won’t successfully remove the intrinsic stains to your satisfaction.

When Is Tooth Whitening Appropriate?

If your only goal is to restore your teeth to their original color by ridding your teeth of their stains, than tooth whitening is your best option.

There are two kinds of stains to consider: intrinsic and extrinsic.

• Intrinsic stains are more difficult to remove as they form inside your teeth due to the natural course of aging and trauma
• Extrinsic stains accrue on the surfaces of your teeth and are caused by exposure to nicotine, dark beverages and acidic foods

The kind of tooth whitening procedure you need to meet your expectations depends on what kind of stains have accumulated on your teeth. In-office bleaching techniques typically address surface stains and can whiten your teeth approximately 3-5 shades. If you wish to eliminate stains formed due to aging and trauma, then a take-home bleaching kit is necessary.

If you want a brighter smile and are considering either porcelain veneers or tooth whitening and live in the Valley Village, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Burbank, or North Hollywood, California areas, please visit the website of Smiles By Sands to learn more.