I have had white spots on my teeth for years. When I am in pictures, they make my teeth look white, but when I am in person they make my teeth look splotchy. Is there a way I can whiten my teeth so they are white uniformly?
Percy
Dear Percy,
There is a solution here, but one of the problems in trying to use teeth whitening for this is that they whiten the surface of the teeth at the same rate. This means while the other parts of your teeth are getting whiter so will the white spots. This will make the white spots even more noticeable.
The best way to get the teeth uniform in this case is with dental bonding or porcelain veneers. You will need a dentist with experience in cosmetic dentistry to do this. Make sure you look at their smile gallery in order to ensure they can provide beautiful results.
You mentioned that you have had these white spots for years. There are other types of white spots that are decalcification spots and precursors for decay. If you have regular checkups and cleanings you can probably eliminate this problem because your dentist would have mentioned it.
If you decide to get porcelain veneers, beware of dentists who tell you that you have to do a full set of veneers in order to get them to match. That is not true. If you want a complete smile makeover, then getting more veneers is fine, but don’t do it because the dentist is not skilled enough to match adjacent teeth. Do it because you want to.
If you do get just a few porcelain veneers, then teeth whitening will be useful for a different reason. If you whiten your teeth first, it will enable you to get your veneers a whiter color and still have your teeth match. Doing that is less expensive than getting more veneers.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.