• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Ask the dentist logo

Ask the Dentist

Health Begins in the Mouth | Dr. Mark Burhenne

  • Shop
  • Find a Dentist
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • Dental Hygiene
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition
  • Cosmetic Dentistry
  • Orthodontics
  • Conditions
  • Procedures
Home › Cosmetic Dentistry › Teeth Whitening › Can you whiten veneers with toothpaste or whitening strips?

Can you whiten veneers with toothpaste or whitening strips?

Written by Mark Burhenne, DDS on June 30, 2015 (Updated: June 26, 2020)
Veneers

Do your veneers no longer match the color of your other teeth? Interested in whitening them? Let me answer all your questions.

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Reasons Veneers Darken & What to Do About It
  • What to Do Before Getting Your Veneers Replaced

Q

My veneers no longer match the color of my other teeth, so I'm interested in whitening them. How do you go about whitening veneers?

A

Unfortunately, whitening gel doesn’t work on veneers. In order to get your veneers to match the rest of your teeth, they’ll need to be replaced. But there’s still lots you can do to protect your veneers from darkening!


Reasons Veneers Darken & What to Do About It

Little brown lines on your teeth. Do you have little brown lines where your veneer meets the tooth? Here’s how it happens: as you age, your gum line will pull back a little (this is called gum recession), exposing the spot where the veneer meets the tooth. At this place, there’s a glue line, which can become stained because it’s made of composite. That composite can absorb coffee, wine, and other dark, staining foods and drinks and become a brown line on your veneered tooth.

What to do: Be vigilant about gum recession. Ask for a pocket reading at each dental checkup — this is a measurement of how much your gums are receding. Gum recession is irreversible. You can prevent it from progressing, but you can’t correct past damage, so start monitoring it now.

A veneer that has darkened. A porcelain veneer shouldn’t darken over time. Porcelain is extremely dense and doesn’t absorb stains in the way a natural tooth does. A plastic veneer can occasionally become lightly stained.

What to do: At your next teeth cleaning, ask your hygienist to polish the veneer to remove the staining.

A tooth that was hit hard. When teeth are hit hard, the inner tissue (dentin) can become damaged. Damaged dentin ages faster than undamaged dentin — meaning your teeth will yellow faster.

What to do: Try applying whitening gel to the back of the tooth using custom-made trays. Doing this could lighten the inner tissue (dentin), thereby lightening the color that reflects out through your veneer and making the whole tooth look whiter.

An old veneer. If your veneers are more than 20 years old, they could have been made with a more porous material that is more susceptible to darkening over the years than the newer materials.

What to do: Consider replacing your old veneers with one of the newer porcelain materials. The newest materials are strong, long-lasting, and very resistant to changing color.

veneers shade

What to Do Before Getting Your Veneers Replaced

The strategies above might help tweak the shade of your veneer. But for true color change, veneers have to be replaced because they can’t be whitened.

Before jumping in:

  • Make sure you do your whitening before replacing the veneers so that everything matches.
  • Take a few weeks or months to decide what color teeth you want before you replace the veeners.
  • Make sure your dentist knows exactly what shade you want.
  • Bring in a Pinterest board or magazine photos.

Mark Burhenne DDS

Got more questions about veneers? Ask me a question!

Learn More: Four Ways to Make Your Teeth Look Whiter (Without Whitening)
Category: Cosmetic Dentistry, Teeth Whitening

About Mark Burhenne, DDS

Hi, I’m Dr. B, practicing functional dentist for 35 years. I graduated from the Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, CA in 1987 and am a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), Academy of General Dentistry (Chicago, IL), American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH), and Dental Board of California. I’m on a mission to empower people everywhere with the same evidence-based, easy-to-understand dental health advice that my patients get. Learn more about Dr. B

  • All Posts
Previous Post: « What's the Difference Between Waxed and Non-Waxed Floss? What’s the Difference Between Waxed and Non-Waxed Floss?
Next Post: Do Crest Whitestrips work? Safety, Ingredients, Alternatives crest whitestrips »

Quick Links

  • Cart
  • My Account
  • About
  • Interview Dr. Burhenne
  • Contact

Resources

  • Find a Functional Dentist
  • Newsletter

Our Products

  • All Products
  • Reversing Cavities Naturally
  • Cavity Free Kids Guide
  • The 8 Hour Sleep Paradox

STAY IN TOUCH

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • TikTok

Copyright © 2022 · Ask the Dentist · All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions / Advertising Policy

Academy of General Dentistry Sleep Medicine logo

Medical Disclaimer

We have made every effort to ensure that all information we provide has been tested for accuracy, however, we make no guarantees regarding the results that you will see from using this information. We disclaim liability for incidental or consequential damages and assume no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of use of the information provided to you from us. The information on this website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied and for informational purposes only. This website’s content is not medical advice nor is it intended to replace medical advice. The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. Before implementing any information we provide to you, you should seek advice from a licensed medical professional.