Hereditary opalescent dentin is a genetic condition that causes the dentin of the tooth to grow in a yellowish brown color rather than the white color of healthy teeth. When the enamel of a tooth is stained, the dentist can simply use teeth whitening bleaches to fix the problem. But hereditary opalescent dentin doesn't respond to whitening solutions and thus requires a bit more involved treatment.

Your general or cosmetic dentistry specialist can guide you towards the right procedure to suit your needs. But, in general, the right procedure will depend on the level of staining and the level of condition-associated dentin weakness is also present.

Here are three of the common potential dental treatments for hereditary opalescent dentin.

Dental Crown

Are your teeth fairly healthy other than the staining? The dentist might recommend simple dental crowns to cover the staining. Crowns don't require the dentist to file away a lot of tooth, which means you get to preserve most of your healthy dentin. And crowns essentially create a new outer dentin shell that can ensure your healthy dentin stays that way for a long time to come.

Porcelain dental crowns have the most natural appearance and are suitable for teeth that don't' take on a lot of grinding bite force when chewing. Rear teeth like the molars might be better covered with porcelain crowns that have a metal backing for some added strength. The metal shows in a line at the gums but that won't be noticeable to anyone else in that position in the rear of the mouth.

Dental Bonding or Veneers

Is your existing dentin weak and prone to breaks, chips, or cavities? Your dentist might opt to cover the staining with dental bonding or veneers. Both cosmetic dentistry procedures involve shaving down a great deal of the natural tooth and then creating a new "front" using the bond or veneer.

What's the difference between the two? A bond is resin and applied in one office visit. The dentist essentially molds the resin like clay onto your shaved-down tooth. Once the desired shape is achieved, the bond is hardened into place using a special light.

Bond application is faster than a veneer, which needs to be created in a lab and then fitted onto the tooth with a bonding cement. The bond is also generally weaker than the veneer, which is made out of porcelain instead of resin. If you suffer enamel stains, too, you might want to go with veneers, which are more stain-resistant.  To learn more, visit a website like http://valleyoakdentalgroup.com/.