The A1 tooth shade is NOT too white since it's a natural tooth color and there are also bleached teeth shades that are much whiter than it. However, the A1 color can be too white in certain situations but it depends on what your teeth naturally look like. Au contraire, the color can in fact be the perfect one for you in other instances.
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A1 isn't the whitest shade
You can't outright say that the tooth color A1 is "too white" when it isn't even the whitest shade possible. The title for that belongs to the hollywood white shades which consist of the 0M1, 0M2, and 0M3 teeth shades.
The image above shows A1 compared to the three bleached shades. Objectively, it is the darkest tooth color when compared to them.
We want to make sure that you understand the difference in the level of whiteness between them so we made a video to show you the visual differences.
How white is A1?
The color A1 is actually the second whitest natural tooth color when compared to B1.
Below is an image that shows how white it is when it is compared to the other shades. It is certainly whiter than most of the other colors aside from the B1.
However, if we're going to get into the nitty gritty details of tooth shades, the A colored shades are technically a reddish-brownish color. The VITA classical shade guide instructions are provided below as evidence of what its color really is.
Yes, most people wouldn't really call it reddish-yellowish but if you look really carefully and you compare it to the rest of the A shades (A2, A3, A3.5, A4) you will see that tint of red and yellow.
The whitest or lightest color of the A shades would be A1 and it gets progressively darker as you go from A2, A3, A3.5 to A4.
When A1 is too white
We can list a couple of scenarios where A1 colored teeth can be perceived as "too white."
If you're doing a crown or veneer and the rest of your dentition is much darker than it.
If you're having a partial denture made and your natural teeth aren't that color.
If you're getting six front veneers done but the adjacent teeth are 2-3 shades darker.
All of the above scenarios relate to having dental restorations but you're choosing the shade A1 simply because it is the whitest. It's considered too white because the color literally doesn't match the rest of your teeth and that is a problem in itself.
In summary, when the color doesn't blend in seamlessly with the surrounding teeth in your mouth, it will be considered excessively white.
When A1 is perfect
We can also list a couple of situations where choosing A1 tooth shade may be perfect for you.
If you're getting a crown or veneer and your teeth are naturally the shade A1.
If you're doing 6 front veneers and the adjacent teeth are just 1 shade darker.
You whiten all of your teeth to the color A1.
In summary, when the color can blend in seamlessly with the surrounding dentition, it won't be considered excessively white. After all, it is a natural color for teeth.
Is it a good color?
It is our opinion that there is no good or bad tooth color. Every color exists for a reason and serves a purpose when needed. Whether or not the color is good for you depends on your mouth and your situation.
If A1 works for you then it is a good color for you.
If the color does not blend in with the rest of your teeth then it probably isn't a good color for you even if you don't want to believe it.
Ultimately the answer would be that it depends but just to be clear, A1 is definitely not a yellow tooth color. It is the second whitest shade out of all of the natural teeth colors. If we were to pick a shade that was yellow, we would say that A4 is really yellow.
As you can see in the photo above, I think we can agree that A4 would be what we would call having yellow teeth. Looks like smoker's teeth doesn't it?
If your teeth are that color you should highly consider teeth whitening at home and even consider professional in-office treatment such as with our dentists in Long Island city. That color is more yellow than average.
Takeaway
It's tough for us to say whether or not A1 is too white for you since we don't know what your teeth naturally look like.
If the rest of your teeth are that color then it's the right color for you.
If your dentition is darker than it then maybe it's too white for you.
Therefore the answer is that it depends on what your natural teeth look like. Sometimes you can make it work but other times it may be a stretch. Consult your dentist as to what shade you should go for if you're unsure.
