Cheek Dental
770-993-3775 |
Cheek Dental
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
      • Meet Dr. Cristi Cheek
      • Meet Dr. Kristina Chandler
      • Meet Our Staff
      • Dr. Cheek’s Published Articles
      • Community Involvement
    • Your First Visit
    • Contact Us
    • Reviews
    • Office Tour
    • Our Blog
  • Patient Resources
    • Patient Forms
    • Online Bill Pay
    • Book an Appointment
    • Financial Policies
    • Map to Our Office
  • Cosmetic Procedures
    • Smile Makeovers
    • Porcelain Veneers
    • Teeth Whitening
    • Zoom Whitening
    • Invisalign
    • Dental Bonding
    • Porcelain Onlays
    • Botox/Fillers
    • Cosmetic Dentistry
  • Smile Gallery
  • Tooth Replacement
    • Dental Implants
    • Dentures
    • Implant Overdentures
  • Other Services
    • CEREC Same-Day Crowns
    • Pediatric Dentist
    • Emergency Dentist
    • TMJ Dentist
    • Mercury-Free Dentist
    • Sleep Apnea
Cosmetic & Family Dentistry
Long-Lasting, Beautiful Dentistry

Meticulous attention to detail, an eye for aesthetics, and a warm, personal approach.

Book an Appointment

Crowns or Veneers for Tetracycline Stains?

Posted on October 19, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have tetracycline stains that I am ready to get fixed. I’ve seen two dentists— my regular general dentist and a local cosmetic dentist. My dentist suggested porcelain crowns. He’s done a crown for me before and it looked very nice and natural. The cosmetic dentist suggested porcelain veneers. The cost for the dental crowns is half the price of the porcelain veneers. I want to do this right. These teeth have bothered me for years. But, is there a significant reason to spend the extra money for the porcelain veneers?

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

single porcelain veneer being held up by a dental tool

A Porcelain Veneer

I’m glad you are asking questions. The first thing you need to know is there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. Just because a dentist calls themselves a cosmetic dentist doesn’t mean they are better. Nor does the fact that they charge more. That being said, I wouldn’t have the crowns done.

Tetracycline stains are one of the most difficult types of cosmetic cases a dentist can work with. They have to make the porcelain opaque enough to cover the stains while translucent enough to still look natural. When it comes to tetracycline stains, the porcelain crowns are an overly aggressive treatment.

The teeth have to be ground down quite a bit in order for there to be room for the dental crowns. This weakens the teeth and puts them at risk of breaking. Often dentists inexperienced in treating these type of stains recommend the crowns because they aren’t confident in their skills doing porcelain veneers. So the fact that your dentist wants to do the much more aggressive crowns is a red flag.

Additionally, there is no guarantee after you unnecessarily grind these teeth down that the crowns will be good enough. I know you said he’s done a crown for you before and you were happy with it. However, doing one crown is very different than dealing with a smile makeover, especially when tetracycline is involved.

Recommended Treatment for Tetracycline Stains

Most cosmetic dentists will suggest porcelain veneers. This can change anything and everything about your teeth— the shape, the size, the color. This is the go-to procedure for celebrities who want a smile makeover. It can do more than cover your tetracycline stains. It can give you the smile you’d always dreamed of having, not only covering the stains you are embarrassed by, but giving you a superstar smile.

Check the Dentist’s Results

I highly recommend you don’t just choose between these two dentists. You have a world of dentists available to you. But be careful in your choice. This is a very difficult cosmetic dentistry procedure, and it may be hard to tell if the dentist has enough skill to do this right. What I would suggest is to ask to see before and after smile gallery photographs of tetracycline cases they’ve personally done. If they can’t show you that, keep looking for another cosmetic dentist.

You also need to insist they do a temporary try-in of your porcelain veneers when they’re done. There is a try-in paste which will allow you to see the veneers on your teeth without bonding them. This enables you to look at them in various lighting and determine if they are what you wanted. If you’re at the right dental office, the dentist will be willing to send the case back to the laboratory and not bond them on if you are at all hesitant about how they look.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Filed Under: Porcelain Veneers Tagged With: cosmetic versus general dentist, porcelain crowns, smile gallery, solutions for tetracycline stains, teeth whitening, tetracycline stains

Recent Posts

  • Implant Bridge Does Not Line Up with My Bite
  • Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection
  • Whitening Teeth With Lemons
  • Can Teething Cause a Fever?
  • MRI and Dental Implants

Categories

  • Best Dentist
  • CEREC Crowns
  • Cosmetic Dentist
  • Dental Bonding
  • Dental Emergencies
  • Dental Implants
  • Implant Overdentures
  • Invisalign
  • Lumineers
  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Porcelain Veneers
  • Same Day Crowns
  • Teeth Whitening
  • TMJ Dentist
  • Uncategorized
  • Zoom Whitening

Archives

  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
our adorable patient, olive
Complete Dental Care for Your Family

We thoroughly enjoy the relationships built by having families in our practice.

Request an Appointment
Contact

Cheek Dental
2872 Johnson Ferry Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062

Phone

770-993-3775

Office Hours

Monday: 7am - 1pm
Tuesday: 8am - 5pm
Wednesday: 8am - 4pm
Thursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 7am - 1pm

Follow Us

Facebook
Instagram

Read Our Reviews

  • Best Dentist in East Cobb
  • Blog
  • East Cobb Lumineers
  • Privacy Policy
  • East Cobb Affordable Dental Implants
  • East Cobb SmileDirectClub

©2015-2023 Cheek Dental • All rights reserved. Website Design and SEO by Infinity Dental Web IDW Copyright Logo

Cheek Dental
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
      • Meet Dr. Cristi Cheek
      • Meet Dr. Kristina Chandler
      • Meet Our Staff
      • Dr. Cheek’s Published Articles
      • Community Involvement
    • Your First Visit
    • Contact Us
    • Reviews
    • Office Tour
    • Our Blog
  • Patient Resources
    • Patient Forms
    • Online Bill Pay
    • Book an Appointment
    • Financial Policies
    • Map to Our Office
  • Cosmetic Procedures
    • Smile Makeovers
    • Porcelain Veneers
    • Teeth Whitening
    • Zoom Whitening
    • Invisalign
    • Dental Bonding
    • Porcelain Onlays
    • Botox/Fillers
    • Cosmetic Dentistry
  • Smile Gallery
  • Tooth Replacement
    • Dental Implants
    • Dentures
    • Implant Overdentures
  • Other Services
    • CEREC Same-Day Crowns
    • Pediatric Dentist
    • Emergency Dentist
    • TMJ Dentist
    • Mercury-Free Dentist
    • Sleep Apnea
  • Click to Call
    (770) 993-3775

  • Please answer before we set up your appointment -