Dr. Hall,
How can I get my veneers as white as they were when I got them? It seems I have coffee stains on them.
– Jack in New York
Dear Jack,
The porcelain used in porcelain veneers has a glaze on it that is like glass and is pretty stain resistant. If this is well-maintained, I wouldn’t expect them to stain. There are a couple of possibilities to explain why they’re staining.
1. You could have done something to break the glaze, by being exposed to abrasives in the air or using a harsh toothpaste.
2. Or your dental office could have used harsh polishing techniques on your porcelain veneers, such as pumice paste or air-powered cleaners.
But now that they’re stained, there are a couple of things you could do.
1. I would start with trying Supersmile tooth-whitening toothpaste. It is excellent at removing surface stain, particularly coffee and tobacco stains. Now if the stain is deeply embedded in the porcelain, it won’t get all of that out, but if it’s on the surface, it will.
2. Tooth whitening, either the laser tooth whitening or the tray tooth whitening, will bleach the stains.
3. The best thing to do would be to find a truly expert cosmetic dentist, such as we recommend on this site, and have her or him polish these veneers back to their original shine. This will remove the stain you have an make them more resistant to further stain. They can’t bring back the glaze, but they can come close to it.
– Dr. Hall
Further information about cosmetic dentistry maintenance techniques, including how to care for porcelain veneers.
Or, we have a page that explains specifically about the care of porcelain veneers.
Click here for referral to an expert cosmetic dentist.
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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