Should I whiten before getting veneers?
Yes, and the order is not negotiable if you are keeping any of your own teeth in the smile. Whiten first, wait about two weeks for the shade to settle, then choose the porcelain against your teeth at their new color.
Do it the other way round and you have locked your smile to whatever shade you happened to have that month.
First
Then let the color settle for about two weeks before the shade is chosen.
Never lightens
The shade approved at the lab is the shade for the life of the veneer.
Why two weeks
Teeth rebound slightly after whitening. The shade immediately afterwards is lighter than where it lands, and matching porcelain to that peak gives you veneers that look too light once your own teeth settle back.
Two weeks is the honest wait. It is also the cheapest two weeks in the whole process.
What if whitening is enough on its own
It happens regularly. People arrive asking about veneers because their teeth look tired, and tired usually reads as dark before it reads as worn. Whitening removes nothing from the tooth and costs a fraction of porcelain.
If you whiten and the complaint is gone, you have just saved yourself a permanent decision. That is a good outcome, and it is why whitening goes first even when veneers are likely.
Keeping the match afterwards
Your natural teeth carry on staining after the case is finished. Most people top up at home occasionally to hold the shade against the porcelain. Ask what that looks like for your case before the veneers are made, since it is easier to plan for than to discover.
Written by Dr. Peter Bonifatto, DMD, a general dentist in Las Vegas whose practice focuses on cosmetic and restorative work. General information, not a diagnosis. What your own teeth need is decided at an exam, with x-rays.
Ask about your own teeth.
A comprehensive exam with photographs and x-rays, then a written plan with real figures you keep. Starts at $99, with no deposit on top of it.