Tetracycline and Teeth Whitening

Tetracycline is an antibiotic that is often used to treat acne vulgaris and rosacea , and also as a replacement for penicillin. While it has many benefits one particular drawback to Tetracycline is that after frequent use it severely discolours your teeth. Tetracycline users have reported various discolorations including dark yellow, brown and even grey. This is commonly known at Tetracycline staining. The question is though, are teeth whitening or bleaching products effective enough to undo this horrible side effect?

The best option is to visit a cosmetic dentist and ask to have veneers fitted onto your teeth. Basically veneers cover the surface of your teeth with a thin white laminate which completely hides any discoloration Tetracycline may have caused your teeth. Unfortunately to have your entire set of teeth veneered you are probably looking at spending over $10,000. That’s a lot of money to spend, even to have a gleaming set of pearly whites.

The alternative (and inexpensive) option is to buy a high quality teeth whitening kit. To undo the damage caused by Tetracycline you will need to use a kit with a whitening gel that has a carbamide peroxide percentage of around 35%. To find a suitable teeth whitening kit you can read our teeth whitening product reviews and find the perfect kit for your needs.

It will take longer to whiten your teeth this way than it would for someone without Tetracycline staining. It will probably take two home teeth whitening kits to get the job done, but at only $69.99 each that represents a huge saving over the veneer option.