Veneers or whitening

[Liliana]

Hiya

I have discoloured front teeth and even though I brush them as hard as I can, I can't seem to remove the stains that are on my teeth. The hygienist has tried to remove the stains and she feels that they are tetracycline stains and will not be removed with hygiene treatment. I have been to several dentists and they are all suggesting that I should have porcelain veneers.

I would like to know if you would recommend veneers or whitening for my case? Obviously whitening seems to be a lot cheaper than porcelain veneers but would it work on my teeth?

Do you think I should save up for veneers or do you recommend teeth whitening? If you recommend dental veneers, which type of veneer would be better for my teeth?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

There are some stains that whitening can not remove and in these situations veneers would be an alternative. Without seeing your teeth, I could not tell you if your case needs whitening or veneers.

Generally speaking whitening is a conservative treatment whereas veneers usually involve tooth tissue removal, so its better to start with the more conservative whitening treatment and if afterwards you feel that you wish to have veneers, then proceed from there.