I’m trying to figure out what to do for my smile makeover. I want to do porcelain veneers, but my dentist wants me to do teeth whitening and Invisalign before getting the porcelain veneers. I thought the porcelain veneers could whiten my teeth and let them look straight, so why do I need the other two procedures. You should know the only crooked tooth I have is one slightly crooked canine tooth. What is your recommendation?
Emily
Dear Emily,
If you want porcelain veneers, you really shouldn’t need Invisalign. This is especially true if you only have one crooked tooth. A skilled cosmetic dentist can make a crooked tooth look straight. That first part is the key. It has to be a skilled cosmetic dentist. This may be the problem you are facing here.
If your dentist doesn’t feel comfortable doing that, please don’t try to pressure him into it. You will not like the results. Instead, you can have your basic work done by him, and then go to another cosmetic dentist for the advanced work. So, as far as the Invisalign goes, it is completely unnecessary.
Teeth whitening is something else. If you get enough veneers on your upper teeth that all the teeth visible when you smile are covered, then you will not need the upper arch whitened at all. However, if you can only afford about four to six porcelain veneers, you will want to whiten your teeth first and then place the porcelain veneers so the adjacent teeth will be a close match.
However, if you are covering enough of your upper teeth veneered, then the only thing you will need whitened is your lower arch. This is much less expensive than placing veneers on your lower arch, but of course if that is what you want to do, then you can.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.