I had four porcelain veneers done about seven months ago. I was told they’d last for years but they’ve started turning a yellowish color. Is there a way to whiten them, maybe with teeth whitening? I’m not sure what I could have done. I’ve been taking very good care of them.

Pam

Dear Pam,

I’m sorry you are having trouble with your porcelain veneers. You are correct that they should last for years. There are a few things that could be going on here. However, I haven’t seen your teeth so could not tell you with certainty what it is. The first is that you did something that damaged them. In most cases, this is not the problem because patients who invest in porcelain veneers tend to take better care of their teeth.

A second possibility is that your dentist told you they gave you porcelain veneers, but in actuality only gave you composite veneers. Composite does not last as long and is not as stain resistant as porcelain.

Did you have a dental appointment recently? If so, a third possibility is your hygienist did something to damage the glazing on your porcelain veneers. Given that this happened seven months from when you received them, I’m leaning toward this one. Porcelain veneers have to be treated differently in your dental cleanings. You would not want your hygienist to use anything like a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride on your veneers. That will damage or even completely remove the glaze, which is what keeps the porcelain so stain resistant.

Teeth whitening will not improve the situation because it only works on natural tooth structure. Your best bet is to go to another dentist for an opinion as to what is causing the staining. Don’t tell them who did your veneers. Tell them you want a blind second opinion. Once you know what went wrong, you will have a better path forward to get them repaired.

This blog is brought to you by Parma Ridge Dentist Dr. Rebecca Gecovich.