I am hoping to fix my tetracycline stains. My dentist is suggesting porcelain veneers. But, they’re pretty expensive. Is there maybe a dental school or an intern that could do it for me less expensively? I’m too embarassed to smile most of the time, but am pretty broke.
Pamela
Dear Pamela,
I am going to discourage you from using a student for this. Porcelain veneers are an advanced cosmetic procedure that requires quite a bit of post-doctoral training. Even just porcelain veneers for a normal smile would be challenging. You have tetracycline stains. These are the hardest cases to treat and would require you use the best of the best of cosmetic dentists. You will not be happy with the results.
If you do not have the money to do porcelain veneers, don’t try to save on costs this way. If you are persistant enough, you can make a real difference in your tetracycline stains by using teeth whitening. You will have to do it for a while. It will not be as gorgeous as porcelain veneers but you can make a real dent in the stains. You will be much more comfortable smiling. Plan on whitening consistently for a few months depending on the severity of your stains.
Just a note. Make sure you use the take home tray whitening. Even though Zoom Whitening is stronger, it would take way too many treatments to be worth it to you financially. It will be too expensive.
While you are doing that, you can save up for a really good dentist that can do your porcelain veneers properly at a later date if you still want them.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.