Tag Archives: covering tetracycline stains

Covering Tetracycline Stains

I am looking for a solution for my tetracycline stains. My sister and I both had them. She had hers fixed five years ago, but her dentist had to make them very opaque in order to cover the tetracycline stains. I was wondering if there have been some new developments that can make them more natural looking? Would I be better off with teeth whitening?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

before and after tetracycline stains are treated.

Porcelain Veneers for Tetracycline Stains

I’m glad you wrote. You may or may not want to tell your sister this but it was possible to get translucent, natural looking porcelain veneers even back when she had them done. How that could have been accomplished would be by using an expert, artistic cosmetic dentist. Doing porcelain veneers is hard on its own. When you add tetracycline stains, it becomes even more complicated. In fact, it is one of the most advanced cases using veneers. In this case, I would only use one of the top of the line dentists. My suggestion would be an AACD accredited dentist.

Teeth Whitening for Tetracycline Stains

While teeth whitening is a possible treatment, you would have to be very persistent and patient. It would take a long time. If you pursue this avenue here are some tips:

  • Only use at-home professional teeth whitening trays. While Zoom Whitening is very effective, the number of sessions you would need to cover these stains would be cost-prohibitive. Using the trays allows you to do it long-term without breaking your budget.
  • Wear the trays for as long as you can each day. Ideally, you would wear them overnight.
  • The best time of at home whitening for this time of situation would be the KöR teeth whitening system.

Best of luck with whichever procedure you end up with!
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

covering tetracycline stains

I have pretty bad tetracycline stains, as did my sister. She had porcelain veneers put on them a number of years ago. While they look better than my teeth, they do not look natural. They told her they had to use an opaquer in order to get them to cover the stains. I was hoping in the last few years or so they’ve made some advancements so that if I had porcelain veneers done, they would look more natural. What are my chances?

Avery

Dear Avery,

A single porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

When it comes to making natural-looking porcelain veneers, the need isn’t for better advancements; rather, it’s for better cosmetic dentists.

The technology has been around for years, but very few cosmetic dentists have the training and skill required to pull it off. To be fair, tetracycline stains are among the most challenging a dentist can face.

The porcelain veneers have to be opaque enough to cover the stains, yet translucent enough to reflect light and look normal. I would say only the top 1% of dentists in the country are capable of pulling this off.

Finding an Expert Cosmetic Dentist

If you want the best cosmetic dentist, and you will need that for tetracycline stains, you will want an AACD accredited dentist.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry realized, because cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty, patients would have a hard time distinguishing who was actually skilled and who just dabbled.

To reach accreditation, dentist have to pass stringent oral and written exams as well as provide a large number of cases which demonstrate they have artistry in their work as well.

Those who reach this level are in the top 1-2% of dentists in the country. You can locate them at aacd.com. Just make sure you check you want an accredited dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

Fixing Tetracycline stains

I’m feeling a bit desperate here. I’ve had tetracycline stains for as long as I can remember. They’ve always embarrassed me, but for some reason now that I’m older, they seem to embarrass me even more. Like maybe I should have fixed this years ago but haven’t bothered. I finally dragged myself to my dentist about it and he wants to crown every tooth. These tooth are all healthy. I’ve never had a cavity in my entire life. I don’t like the idea of grinding them all down. Is there an alternative?

Beth

Dear Beth,

A tetracycline case done by Dr. Mike Malone

Tetracycline stains are among the most challenging cases a dentist can face. Here’s the crux of the problem. These stains are so dark your dentist has to manage to get the coverage opaque enough to cover them, but translucent enough to look natural and beautiful.

Some dentists try to make up for this challenge by doing dental crowns instead. There are two major problems with this. One is that you’re grinding down healthy tooth structure. The second is that crowns don’t guarantee the darkness will be covered. Then you’re stuck with crowns the rest of your life.

Instead, you want the dentist who’s invested the time in training to develop the skills needed to do this the right way with porcelain veneers.

Finding the Right Porcelain Veneers Dentist

It takes a combination of expertise in color theory and manipulation along with detailed knowledge of the properties in a large variety of porcelains. Only about the top 1-2% of dentists in the country are able to do this with good results.

If you want to get the best results possible, you’ll want an accredited dentist with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists have been extensively screened for both technical skill and artistry.

They’ve passed stringent oral and written exams as well as provided visual evidence of the artistry they’ve accomplished on a large number of required cases.

Anyone of them can give you the stunning smile you want, even with tetracycline stains. Though, it may require driving to another city for the procedure depending on where you live.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.