New Veneers on Front Teeth Don’t Match My Natural Teeth

Last month I got porcelain veneers on my 4 top front teeth. They are so much whiter than my other teeth. People have actually asked me if I got 4 new teeth. It’s so embarrassing. Me and my dentist had a long talk about this, but she says the veneers will get dull with time. Aren’t they supposed to match my teeth? Will they get darker with time? Giovanni (Gio)

Gio –

Thank you for contacting 5 Star Dental Group in San Antonio.

Yes, your new porcelain veneers should match the color of your natural teeth. They should blend in with your natural teeth’s size, shape, and color so people can’t tell you to have veneers. If you wanted ultra-white veneers, your dentist should have whitened your natural teeth before making the restorations to ensure a match.

Porcelain is colorfast, which means a dentist cannot make your veneers lighter or darker after a ceramist crafts them. Your new smile’s color must be determined and agreed upon by you and your dentist.

At this point, you have two options. Regardless of your choice, we recommend finding an experienced cosmetic dentist to help you. A cosmetic dentist has an artistic eye for the best results possible. The options are as follows:

1. Whiten your natural teeth – It is possible that a dentist can whiten your natural teeth to match the color of your porcelain veneers closely. A cosmetic dentist will need to examine your teeth to determine if you are a candidate for teeth bleaching. If you are, they will tell you the results you can expect with whitening and how closely your natural teeth will match the veneers. As we mentioned earlier, a dentist must complete teeth whitening before porcelain restorations if a patient wants a brighter smile.
2. Get new porcelain veneers – Your dentist should offer to replace your porcelain veneers if she cannot achieve a match. You can allow her to try again or ask her to compensate you for getting a cosmetic dentist to replace your veneers.

We strongly suggest that you research to find a cosmetic dentist with experience. You can find a few cosmetic dentists with porcelain veneers experience and have a consultation with each of them before making a decision. When you get beautiful results, you’ll be happy that you found the right dentist.

San Antonio dentists Dr. Gilberto Tostado and Dr. Karina Acuña sponsor this post.