Is it okay to use free teeth whitening on my porcelain veneers? I don’t want to put anything on them that could mess up the veneers. I smoke a lot and thought I would be able to stop smoking by now. This is the 3rd year I’ve had veneers and they are starting to pick up stains. Instead of paying to have my dentist whiten them I wonder if I can do it myself. I found a promotion for a free teeth whitening kit as a starter and I plan on cancelling the subscription before my credit card gets charged for an ongoing supply. Brooke
Brooke,
Your porcelain veneers can neither be whitened with free teeth whitening nor any other type of teeth whitening.
An Alternative to Teeth Whitening for Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are colorfast and bleaching them won’t remove the stains. They are also virtually stain resistant, but if they are getting stained by smoking, there are some things you should and should not do:
- Avoid brushing your veneers with abrasive, whitening toothpaste. The toothpaste can crack the glaze on your veneers and cause them to stain more easily.
- Only have your teeth cleaned by a dentist and dental hygienist who are specifically trained in caring for and cleaning porcelain veneers. There are dental tools specifically designed to be gentle on veneers and keep the glaze intact.
- Keep your regularly scheduled appointments for dental cleanings and exams.
- Ask your cosmetic dentist to polish surface stains off your veneers.
Even on natural teeth, free teeth whitening might not be effective. The contents of the bleaching gel determine if it will clean your teeth. Carbamide peroxide is the whitening agent in professional-strength bleaching gel. In order to get predictable results, teeth whitening should be supervised by a dentist.
Only ask a trained cosmetic dentist for help removing stains from your porcelain veneers. Don’t use your free teeth whitening on them.
This post is sponsored by Plano female dentist Dr. Miranda Lacy.