Hi, I am interested in some information about teeth whitening. I am only 19 years old but my teeth have a slightly discoloured yellow appearance. I have had problems with enamel erosion, mainly on the four teeth in the front of my mouth, I have read enamel eroision can affect the colour of teeth as it wears away the whiter enamel. I also have translucent areas in a few places and a couple of small chips in these areas. One of my front teeth has a small area of composite bonding that replaced a more significant chip. I have made significant changes in my diet and eating habits to stop the erosion becoming worse and my dentist has said that the teeth will be okay as they are, however the appearance bothers me, particuarly the yellow discolouration. Honestly I can not really remember if my teeth used to be any whiter as i assume discoloration is a slow process and i only became aware of it recently, I have also read that some people have naturally more yellow coloured enamel which could be the case for me.
I have done some research on the different methods of tooth whitening and have read about lumineers. These seem good however the price seems to be very high, (only being 19 price obviously is an issue) I assume these can be used to cover the small chips as well as changing the colour of the teeth. I would rather steer clear of conventional veneers as they are more destructive to the tooth and i am still very young. I have also looked at home teeth whitenng kits available from dentists however I have read about possible nasty side-effects including increased risk of cancer…? Also what would the effect be of this on my area of composite bonding, would it lighten aswell? Having a hollywood smile is not important to me, i would really just like my teeth a few shades whiter, and possibly have the couple of chips and translucent areas sorted out, I have become very strict with my self about my teeth and now take very good care of them, however damage has already been done. I would like to have these things sorted out so i can start looking after a nice set of teeth!
Your advice would be very helpful, thank you for your time.