Can a Veneer Be Darkened?

I've just had a veneer put on a tooth at the front and it looks awful. The shade is about 4 shades lighter than my actual teeth, It looks completely false and very noticable. I had the veneer put on for cosmetic reasons, (so that I had a straighter smile).

I phoned the Dentist today and the receptionist said that she would speak to him and get back to me. When she phoned me back, she said that he was going to order me a new veneer but that it would be at least 2 weeks as they are closed next week. This has really affected my confidence and I'm frightened of smiling now as it is so noticable. I paid a lot of money to have this done.

My question is, is there any way that I can darken my tooth until my 'new tooth' arrives?

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9 Doctor Answers | Asked by Nikki337 in IOM

Doctor Answers (9)
Community Comments (0)

This may be worth a try

I often stain my temporary veneers to match adjacent teeth. You can bring the value or brightness down by adding some yellow, gray, or brown depending on the color of the adjacent teeth. How can YOU do this? Fist I would assume that this veneer is going to be cut off, so we have nothing to lose by trying to bring its value down. I might try to find some light brown or gray nail polish and paint it on the surface. Be subtle. It doesn't take much.... more

Not too much can be done after cementation

Unfortunately nothing can be done to really change the color once the veneer has been cemented. Before cementation your doctor should have tried different shade of cemnets to change the color. Veneers are transparent and shade can be altered by using different shaded cements. If the color of the veneer is too far off, pigmentation can be added to the veneer to change the color further. It helps if the veneer is fabricated in the office so that these changes can be made while you wait... more

Veneers Cannot Be Darkened

There is no good solution for your short term problem of your veneer being too light. You cannot stain the porcelain to be darker. If you have some bleaching trays at home, you could try to whiten the rest of the teeth for 2-3 nights and hopefully the other teeth would lighten making the shade difference less noticeable. The only other option would be for your dentist to remove that veneer immediately and place a new temporary that would match the other teeth better.... more

You can't darken the color

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. As noted by Dr. Timmerman, doing one tooth is the hardest procedure in cosmetic dentistry. To answer your question- NO, you can't darken your veneers. In addition, I'm concerned that they are just "ordering" a new one. I've done over 5000 veneers and I've yet to be able to just "order a new one". Porcelain veneers are adhesively bonded to the underlying tooth... more

Veneers do not change color.

The color of a porcelain veneer can not be changed after it is cemented. If you are not happy with the color it should be re-done for a perfect match. Veneering one tooth can be a challenge. I would recommend going to the lab and have the ceramist who is making the veneer take a custom shade.

Choose veneers wisely

Only at the lab can stain be applied.But not after they have been seated other wise the lab has to create new veneers to the adjusted color. So choose wisley to avoid a longer duration in getting your veneers make sure your set on a color.

Veneers cannot be darkened and I see several problems here

Once a veneer is placed the color cannot be altered. As a rule I rarely ever do just one veneer. They are best done in pairs so that if they don't match perfectly in all lights the can blend better. When I do do one I have the patient see my ceramist for custom shade matching. You can't just " order a new veneer". The faulty one must be removed first and a new impression taken. I would get in to see your dentist ASAP and have him remove the veneer, prepare the new one and... more

Single front teeth are a major challenge

Getting a single front tooth to match the adjacent teeth is VERY difficult. Thankfully, once done, the color stability is such that it won't change. Unfortunately, if it doesn't match, there is nothing that can be done and must be done over. Normally it takes 2 visits, one to remove the old restoration and take an impression to send to the lab, then the second one to bond it in place. Simply calling a lab and ordering another skips a very important step. As far as darkening the tooth until... more

Thankfully, help is on the way

The beauty to porcelain veneers is their color stability. That being said, it is imperative that the doctor show you the veneers prior to final cementation so you can approve the color, shape, and size. After it is cemented there is little that can be done other than remove the veneer and start over. Thankfully your dentist is willing to correct what you are unsatisfied with and now you can have your smile restored.