Why do porcelain veneers that are too white look unnatural?
Because natural teeth are not a single white. The gum side is a little more yellow and deeper in color, and toward the edge the tooth gets thinner and lets light through. If you choose the whitest shade tab, this difference disappears, and the connection with the yellowish and reddish tones of the neighboring teeth is broken, so only the front teeth look like they float.
A color that looked ordinary under treatment room lighting looks much stronger by a window or under lamps in the evening. If you simply follow teeth on a screen, a brightness matched to camera lighting stays overwhelming in everyday life.
So I do not choose the color in only one spot. I hold it up in natural light by the window, under indoor lamps, and under treatment room lighting, and I use the everyday light you will see your teeth in most as the standard. A front tooth color you will live with for a long time comes before the color that looks brightest in the moment.
What do veneers look like without translucency?
If the whole restoration is an opaque solid color, light reflects only off the surface, so it still looks artificial even when the brightness matches. On the other hand, if it is too translucent, a dark base shows through as gray. The reason teeth look like they float is often translucency rather than the shade number.
| How it looks | Common cause |
|---|---|
| Only the front teeth look like they float | Only the brightness was raised, with no translucency |
| Gray shows through | The base is dark but the veneer is too translucent |
| Looks flat | Blocked in a single solid color with no layers |
Is the color different between pressed veneers and hand-layered veneers?
The way the layers are expressed is different. Pressed ceramic comes out of a single block, while with hand-layered ceramic the dental technician builds it up one layer at a time with a brush, setting the translucency and tone differently in each layer. For teeth where the light needs to differ between the gum side and the edge, the hand-layered method has the advantage.
Wonjin Dental’s Brinate comes in a pressed Basic (0.3mm, same-day possible) and hand-layered Build-up (0.1mm, about 1 week) and Platinum (0.1mm, about 2 weeks). A whiter shade tab does not mean a more expensive treatment.
If I also get whitening, when is the color chosen?
It is chosen after the whitened color has stabilized. Teeth are brightest right after whitening, and the color settles over the following few days to few weeks. If you match the color on the day of whitening, a few days later only the restorations stay whiter. So when planning whitening and porcelain veneers together, I leave a gap and set a separate day for choosing the color.
Composite fillings and old restorations do not brighten with whitening. If only the natural teeth get brighter, those parts stand out more, so we decide whether to replace them too before choosing the color. More details are in the article whitening teeth with fillings.
How we handle it at Wonjin Dental
I do not choose the whitest shade tab. I look at your skin tone, the yellowish tone of the neighboring teeth, and how much gum shows when you smile, check under several kinds of lighting, and then try different bonding cement shades before bonding. Color and translucency have to be matched together for the teeth to blend into the face. Like the eyes, nose, and skin, teeth are part of the face, so they look natural when they share the light with their surroundings. Recently, more people want their teeth and face to match each other rather than just having white teeth.
If the teeth stick out or there is a skeletal protruding mouth, placing white porcelain on top makes both the color and the position look like they float, so I do not place it. Wonjin Dental’s approach to front tooth treatment is summarized on the front tooth treatment page.
Frequently asked questions
Can the color of porcelain veneers be changed after they are bonded?
The color of ceramic is hard to change after bonding. To change the color, they have to be removed and made again, so checking before bonding is important.
What color suits darker skin?
The darker the skin, the greater the contrast with very white teeth, so they stand out more. Rather than looking only at skin tone, it looks more natural to use the neighboring teeth and the color of the whites of the eyes as the standard.
Can I bring a photo of the color I want?
It helps as a reference. However, colors look different depending on screen brightness and lighting, so we decide by holding the shades up directly in your mouth.
Does the color of porcelain veneers change over time?
Ceramic rarely changes color, but the neighboring natural teeth gradually darken with age and eating habits. If you notice a difference after a few years, we first look at matching the natural teeth with whitening.
