I want to get a smile makeover with porcelain veneers, but have a couple of questions first. 1. Will I need to do teeth whitening before getting the porcelain veneers or after? 2. If I have one slightly crooked tooth, will I need to get Invisalign before getting the veneers?
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
Teeth Whitening and Smile Makeovers
A good cosmetic dentist will recommend you get your teeth whitened before you get porcelain veneers done. This is for two reasons. First, the color of your porcelain veneers is permanent. If you decide to do teeth whitening afterward, your natural teeth will whiten, but the veneers will not.
A second reason is to get your bottom teeth white. In most cases, you won’t need to place porcelain veneers on your bottom arch. However, you don’t want there to be a huge color difference. Teeth whitening prevents that.
Invisalign and Smile Makeovers
Unless you have a complicated orthodontic case, you would usually either do porcelain veneers or Invisalign. You wouldn’t need to do both. Based on what you described, Invisalign wouldn’t be necessary in your case. The porcelain veneers can make your teeth look straight.
When it comes to teeth whitening, you don’t need a skilled cosmetic dentist to do the procedure. It’s a straightforward process and just about any dentist can do it.
Porcelain veneers are different. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. If you want to have beautiful results, you’ll want a dentist who has invested time in post-doctoral training in porcelain veneers and the art of smile makeovers. Your case, in particular, requires some shaving of the crooked tooth so you want to make sure you get a dentist who knows what they’re doing.
In your place, I’d go to the website of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. They have a link to find a dentist. Check that you are looking for an accredited cosmetic dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. Any one of them will provide you with a stunning smile.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.