Hi Dr. Hall,

Is it nescessary for me to have tooth whitening before porcelain veneers are applied, and is it possible to have veneers on a tooth that is slightly crooked without getting invisaline first?
– Deborah in Massachusetts

Deborah,
Cosmetic dentists will recommend tooth whitening before getting porcelain veneers because once the veneers are on, it isn’t possible to whiten them. So let’s say you’re getting eight porcelain veneers on the upper front teeth. If you whiten the lower teeth and the upper back teeth, then you will be able to get a whiter shade of veneers for the upper front teeth, because they will look more natural. But it isn’t mandatory. It all should be geared toward the result that you want. If you want the veneers to be just a little bit whiter than your existing teeth, then you won’t need to whiten your other teeth.

But go to an expert cosmetic dentist who is comfortable talking about these issues with you. General family dentists simply don’t appreciate these issues, and I don’t have much confidence in their advice on color.

As far as being able to put porcelain veneers on crooked teeth without straightening them first with either Invisalign, or regular braces – Yes, absolutely you can do this. It’s done all the time. Especially if they’re just slightly crooked, I think it’s a waste of time and money to have them straightened first and then put veneers on them. The veneers will make them look perfectly straight.
– Dr. Hall