Our smile is one of our greatest attributes.  Our smile can covey confidence, warmth and happiness.  Consistently the “number one” attribute that people notice when meeting for the first time is your smile.   I have been asked a lot lately about the cosmetic options for dark stained teeth. Do not fret, here at Dental Excellence Ireland we always have an option! If you are unhappy with the colour of your teeth then bleaching is a viable option to consider. However this may not be the best option for you.

Some patients that come to me for cosmetic smile makeovers have staining within their teeth  and they have found that no matter how much bleaching they have done there is no improvement. This type of staining is known as ‘intrinsic staining’ and it is not removed by bleaching.
An option for these type of teeth is porcelain veneers. If your teeth are too sensitive to hot and cold then bleaching may not be for you but veneers could be.

It is important to be careful when it comes to bleaching as there are many products on the market supplied by non-dentally qualifed companies. An inferior product may either be too weak and not make any difference to the colour of your teeth and be a waste of your money OR be too strong and burn your gums. Be careful as you only get one set of teeth for your adult life.

Another complaint that patients have is that they have been bleaching their teeth and the old veneers or crowns are still dark. This is because only natural tooth can be bleached. Some Patients have chipped or uneven teeth and would like another option other than bleaching.

Dental Veneers

A veneer is a  layer of porcelain overlying the existing tooth. At Dental Excellence Athlone I carry out a detailed smile design analysis of the patient’s smile including tooth dimensions, shades and surrounding gum and lip shape. These are very important factors as if not considered can result in ill- fitting, too thick or wrongly coloured veneers.

Having veneers placed involves removal of only a small amount of tooth, the veneer is then made from porcelain and bonded onto the tooth using a high strength bonding system. For a natural look a high quality dental laboratory must also be used, tiny characteristics such as different shades and textures may be added to make the veneer  to look like a perfect yet natural tooth. We can even change the shape of the teeth to make them shorter or longer, square or rounded. I personally only use one of the top laboratories in the country, the results make it worth it!
Before and after a smile makeover