I have one of my front teeth stained because of tetracyclin (antibiotic) when I was young and I'd really like to get rid of it. The stain itself is about 1/4 of my tooth and sometimes it's barely noiticeable but others it turns glowish yellow and it can be seen a mile away which really annoys me. The rest of my teeth are fine it's jsut that one that got stained. I'd like to know if the crest white strips or colgate simply white or any of those would get rid of it? Or would they just whiten the rest of my teeth and make the stain even more noticeable? Because I don't feel like spending thousands of dollars on getting it removed with laser. I've also been using these "whitening toothpastes" with baking soda and peroxide for about 4 months, and they have somehow whitened a little my smile, but the stain is still there. What should I do?

anybody? please help

Tetracycline stains are not really stains, but rather a disruption of the enamel rods as they are being formed. This disruption gives the darked stain appraeance. Bleaching or whitening rarely does any good. Sometimes, if it's not too bad, a surface sanding of the tooth can remiove the stained appearance. This would work if the timing of the antibiotic treatment and the formation of the tooth was such that it was a surface enamel rod disruption that did not extend very deep (as the deeper portions were already formed. More often than not, a porcelain veneer is the best option.

Well it does look like a stain and it is pretty deep inside the tooth. It's just a yellow spot in the corner of my tooth.

and if i got those veeners, would I have to get them on all front teeth or just that one?
and are they expensive?

you can get a veener on just one tooth. Dentist are able to match your coloing pretty well. Look at the coloring chart with him to match as close as possible to your other teeth. Good luck

Sorry duplicate post.There was a problem with the site.

If your other teeth have good shape and color where the veneers could be matched properly, then you would need only the one. If your overall smile would be improved significantly by having the front six done, then that would be something to consider. As for expense, you'll need to call around and ask what the fees are for your area.

Duplicate post. Sorry

Just read an article related to tetracycline stain and whitening. A 6 month study was conducted on the effectiveness of whitening with tetracycline stain (the most difficult stain to remove) and have found that whitening is possible without adverse effects on the teeth. However, the teeth will not be perfect but this is a good option for a more conservative, low cost option. Its anywhere from 0-$400 depending on where you go and what kind of product you recieve. Some dentist give it away free to new patients.
The best choice would be veneers which in run about $1000 per tooth in the NW and usually at least four need to be done for optimal results.

what I could do is get one veneer for that tooth and then whiten slightly all the others which aren't stained so that they match the veneer. Either way $1000 per tooth is way to much, so I'll really have to ask dentists if there are cheaper options. Preferably removing the "stain" instead of covering it.

You know.. I've been looking at pictures of teeth stained by tetracycline and they look nothing like mine. Those are dark greyish kind of stains and mine is white-yellowish. I just guessed it's tetracycline cause I asked my dad and he said it was because of an antiobiotic when I was young. Also is it normal for these stains to become more visible some days and less visible others?