Why Do My Teeth Look Whiter in Some Lighting Than Others?
Posted by writeradmin
I recently had my teeth whitened and I love them most of the time. The strange thing is that they look amazingly white in my bathroom and outside, but sometimes they don’t look nearly as white in photographs or in certain rooms. I thought I was imagining it until my husband noticed it too. Can different lighting really change how white teeth look? Which color is the “real” color?
Ashley
Dear Ashley,
I’m glad you wrote. This is not in your imagination. Lighting absolutely can affect how the color of your teeth look. Believe it or not, this was happening with your natural teeth as well. It just wasn’t as noticeable because your teeth are brighter now, and you’re likely paying more close attention because you like your new color.
Color matching in cosmetic dentistry is more complicated than many patients realize, but is it more of an issue with a smile makeover than whitening.
A tooth is not like a wall painted with one flat color. Natural teeth interact with light in several different ways.
Our natural teeth aren’t completely opaque. While our enamel is translucent, there are varying levels of opacity and translucency. Light can pass into it and interacts with the underlying dentin, which has a warmer color. This is why you wouldn’t want to do a CEREC crown on a front tooth because they are milled from a single block of porcelain and will look flat and fake. But, if you get a traditional porcelain crown, the ceramist will use different blocks of porcelain to create different opacities.
Your teeth also reflect and scatter light. The combination contributes to the color that you perceive. Change the light source and you change that perception. Warm indoor lighting emphasizes yellow tones. Cooler light produces a different effect. Bright natural daylight makes your smile appear different again.
It’s not just light that has the affect on. your tooth color. You may have heard that red lipstick makes your teeth look whiter. That’s because your surroundings can influence that perception as well. Clothing, lipstick, skin tone, and even nearby colors can affect how bright your teeth appear by comparison.
This is one reason cosmetic dentists need to pay careful attention to lighting when selecting shades for porcelain restorations.
Teeth Whitening Is a Little Different From Matching Porcelain for Veneers
While professional teeth whitening changes pigments within your natural tooth structure, porcelain restorations such as crowns and veneers are different. Once their color has been created, ordinary teeth whitening will not bleach them to a lighter shade.
That becomes especially important if you are planning both whitening and cosmetic dental work. We would always recommend that you have whitening done before restorations or smile makeovers. That is because the porcelain restoration can then be created to coordinate with the newly whitened natural teeth.
Otherwise, you could whiten your natural teeth later and discover that a previously matching crown suddenly looks old and discolored.
Your Teeth Can Also Temporarily Look Extra White
Your teeth will continue whitening up to two weeks after you complete your treatment. There is another factor if you have just finished whitening. Teeth can become temporarily dehydrated during some whitening procedures. Dehydrated enamel can appear lighter or more opaque. As the teeth rehydrate, the color will settle somewhat.
That doesn’t mean your whitening disappeared overnight. It means the immediate appearance isn’t always identical to the stabilized final shade. You asked a fascinating question. Which is the real shade? The weird answer is, they all are.
The goal of excellent cosmetic dentistry is to create a natural-looking smile that behaves attractively under the many lighting conditions you encounter in ordinary life. With teeth whitening there is less control over that. We whiten the teeth and they will take on their different personalities in different lights
With porcelain veneers, this has to be carefully and intentionally done. Because of that, if you ever get veneers, make sure that you choose an expert cosmetic dentist.
For now, just enjoy that bright, white smile you have no matter which lighting you’re in.
This blog is brought to you by a top-rated Mount Dora cosmetic dentist, Dr. Michelle Stillman.