Will Crest Whitestrips (or any other over-the-counter whitening product) damage my porcelain veneers? I had porcelain veneers placed on my teeth a couple of years ago, and while the veneers still look fantastic my other teeth have yellowed quite a bit. It is pretty noticeable, since I got the veneers to match my then freshly-whitened teeth.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Antonio in Chicago

Dear Antonio,

The only kind of over-the-counter whitening products I would recommend in your case would be Crest Whitestrips, or some other version of that product produced by another manufacturer. The whitening agent, peroxide gel, is held to the teeth by the strips so the can penetrate the tooth structure and whiten the teeth. Be extremely cautious about the product you select–some products have acid that etches the enamel of the teeth, after which you apply a white pigment. These products do give the appearance of a temporary whitening, but will ultimately allow more stains to adhere to the teeth via the damage to the enamel of the teeth.

There is a problem with Whitestrips in your case as well. The strips are designed to cover only the front six teeth, so to use them, you will have to trim the strips themselves. That is quite a lot of messing around, especially when you consider that it may take several applications to get the degree of whiteness you want. By the time you purchase all the kits, you may very well wind up spending as much as you would just getting the professional teeth whitening done at your dentist’s office.

In your shoes, I would likely go to an office to get the the whitening done. In the end, you’ll probably spend about the same amount of money, and you will save quite a lot of time.

I hope this was helpful.