subject: Can Existing Porcelain Crowns Or Laminates Be Bleached? [print this page] When people have received porcelain laminate veneers or crowns in the past, they may have questions for their Palatine dentist about their maintenance through the future. Many people hear about teeth whitening, a procedure that is being used more and more often to lighten the color of the teeth. A commonly asked question from people who have already received veneers or crowns is whether or not dental bleaching will have any effect on crowns or laminate veneers which are made of porcelain.
The answer is that bleaching will have no effect on laminates or crowns. Porcelain is a substance which is not affected by the compounds which are used to bleach teeth. Often though, a veneer is going to be used for exactly this reason. Dental bleaches become unnecessary when you have teeth which are going to be white all the time due to the veneers porcelain construction.
Porcelain laminates are a cosmetic dentistry procedure. This means that this is a procedure, like teeth whitening, which is done to improve the overall appearance of the teeth rather than to correct any kind of health problem. The effect of veneers can be used to correct many dental problems. Laminates are built up carefully so that they can correct the shape and alignment of the teeth. They are also used to create a smile that is the color desired.
Porcelain laminate veneers are long lasting. They should last for about ten years or more provided that they don't get chipped due to a fall or injury of some other kind. That means that as long as good dental hygiene is maintained, the patient's teeth should stay healthy looking.
The good news about bleaching veneers and crowns is that if you only have a small veneer or crown and want to bleach your other teeth, the whitening compound should not have an effect on the laminates or crowns negatively either. The dental community has widely come to the agreement that, although some slight change might be affected on veneers when bleaching teeth, this is so minor that it is not worth considering. Most dentists will happily recommend that patients with veneers or crowns undergo whitening if that is what they desire.
A final note is that because veneers cannot be whitened, they should be applied by an expert. You want the best dentist possible so that they can do the best job of color matching your laminates that it is possible to do.
