How do i whiten a porcelain veneer? i have porcelain veneers on two of my teeth that i've had for a long time, and am looking to have my teeth whitened. the veneers are not as white as they once were, and my dentist said that the whitening process won't w

Porcelain : Porcelain veneers cannot change color, however if they are thin enough, they can let through some of the color of the teeth underneath. It is nearly impossible to whiten the teeth under the veneers, but if you have whitening trays, you might want to try putting the solution in the spots for the veneered teeth and see if that will work. It is a slight chance but it is worthwhile trying. Good luck, dr. Zev kaufman.

Whitening : Whitening can occur on the part of the tooth not covered by the veneer. I have seen significant changes with whitening on teeth that have been veneered. Some of the older cements that were used with veneers have a tendency to darken with time. If this is the case, it is hard to change the color.

Porcelain : Porcelain veneers do not change color. The color is imbedded within the porcelain and fired at over 1800 degrees. The only way to change the color is to replace the veneers.

You can't: Once porcelain veneers are bonded on to your teeth, there is no way to change whiten them without having them redone. I am assuming that you do not have external stain or a film on you veneers that can easily be polished off by your dentist. Tooth whitening can only lighten enamel and not veneers, crowns or fillings. Speak to your own dentist about your options.

Dental Veneers: If the veneers are discolored due to the extrinsic stains (tea, coffee stain, etc.) they can be cleaned. Otherwise, their color can not be changed beyond the value they were made at the beginning.

Replacing them...: Unfortunately there is not a way to whiten existing bonded veneers. They would need to be replaced to whiten them.....

New Veneers: Your dentist is correct that you can not whiten pre-existing veneers. The part of the veneer that the outside world sees is porcelain and won't really stain. The part that has stained is the luring cement that bonds the veneer to your tooth. The ideal solution to your problem is to whiten your natural teeth and than have your dentist redo your 2 darker veneers to match your lighter natural teeth.