Teeth Whitened to Match Eye Balls?

Is it possible for me to whiten my teeth enough for them to match my eyeballs? I know that is a tall order. It may be unrealistic. I just wanted to see if it was even a possibility before I made it a goal.

Patty

Dear Patty,

That is an interesting question. Technically, we haven’t found a limit to how white teeth can get. There isn’t really a secret to it. If you want them whiter, you just wear the whitening longer. However, sometimes, if people are over whitening their teeth, they can turn a translucent color.

When it comes to matching your teeth to a certain color, your best bet is to have porcelain veneers made. These are tiny wafers of porcelain which can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. This is the go-to procedure for celebrities when they want that Hollywood smile and provides a total smile makeover.

There is one thing to be aware of. With teeth whitening, no special training is necessary. Any dentist can do it and it the quality of work shouldn’t go down by price shopping. The opposite is true with porcelain veneers.

When it comes to real cosmetic dentistry. you need a dentist with both technical skill and artistry. Unfortunately for patients, there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. It is completely up to the dentist how much training they invest it, which all has to be done post-doctorally. Any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of how much training they’ve done. As you can imagine, this has resulted in some tragic smile “makeovers”.

One way to ensure you don’t end up as a cosmetic dentistry horror story is to pick your dentist from the mynewsmile.com website. This website is run by a retired cosmetic dentist. A dentist cannot just pay to be listed. They have to pass the screening process, which includes verifying their technical training and looking at the results of actual cases they’ve done to ensure they have real artistry. If you decide you want to get porcelain veneers, then I suggest you make certain your dentist is on that list. If not, find one who is.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.