Tag Archives: composite bonding

Zoom Whitening

Tooth Mousse & Zoom Whitening

I have some white spot lesions on my teeth. My dentist prescribed tooth mousse for me. It is a nine week treatment. After that, if the white spots are not gone, then we will finish it up with Zoom Whitening because it is fast. However, we are hoping the mousse will take care of it on its own. Is there a chance that both those things together won’t work and I’ll need a third treatment?

Eve

Dear Eve,

someone getting zoom whitening
Zoom Whitening

I’m glad you wrote. Your dentist is sort of close on this, but not close enough for me to not give you some warnings. First, tooth mousse is a decent treatment option. However, I’m concerned he doesn’t understand the point of the treatment. It is designed to treat white spots, but mostly to remineralize the area.

White spots are precursors to decay. Using the tooth mousse will repair the demineralization that occurred to cause the spots in the first place. The company makes no claim that it will change the aesthetics of the tooth.

As for the Zoom Whitening finishing that up, it will actually make things worse. Teeth whitening, no matter what method you choose, will whiten your teeth evenly. This means the white spots will get whiter along with the rest of your teeth.

While the remineralization is a great idea. The thing that will make the teeth even in color is dental bonding. However, I would not ask your dentist to do the bonding himself. This is an advanced cosmetic procedure. If he did not understand how teeth whitening works, he will not be able to do the bonding well.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Dental Bridge

Metal showing on my maryland bridge

I’ve had a Maryland Bridge for 20+ years. I’ve never had any problem with it. However, a week ago I needed a crown placed. In order to get a comfortable placement, my dentist had to adjust my bite a bit, which included grinding a bit on the Maryland Bridge. The next morning, I noticed a silver spot where the metal was showing through. I went back and he said the problem was likely because I grind my teeth. He bonded a composite filling on it, but that was gone by the next day. He still insists it is from my grinding and says there is nothing more he can do to fix it. I’m finding that hard to believe as I’ve not had a problem with this bridge until he messed with it. It’s a little intimidating to argue with him, though. What do you recommend here?

Penny

Dear Penny,

Diagram of a Maryland Bridge
Maryland Bridge

While I haven’t seen the tooth, I think you and I both know that he is the culprit here. However, he’s the dentist and therefore in the authoritative position which makes it tricky for you to confront him, especially if his pride interferes with his integrity.

One thing I’d like you to do is get a second opinion. Some dentists will even give you a free second opinion. They’ll be able to tell if he caused the damage. If you drag a metal explorer over glazed porcelain, it won’t leave a mark. However, if the porcelain has been ground on with a dental bur, a distinct mark on the porcelain will be visible.

Once the second dentist has armed you with the information you need, you may be able to get him to admit his error. In truth, every dentist has had this happen. The shame is more in not being willing to try and make it right.

A Possible Fix for Your Bridge

There is a possible way to fix this without having to replace the bridge. It is worth a try, though it doesn’t always work. When your dentist placed the composite filling. it doesn’t sound like he did anything to prepare the metal.

Here’s the procedure I’d recommend. You are welcome to show him this post. There is one bonding cement which will bond to metal— Panavia.

The first step will be to grind away more metal to make way for the materials needed. Then, use a micro-etcher to prepare the spot. From there, prime the metal and then add a thin opaque layer of Panavia over the metal and cure it. After that is when your dentist can place the composite.filling.

If that doesn’t work, your best option is to replace the bridge.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

Cosmetic Dentist

family dentist versus cosmetic dentist

I had composite bonding done on a chipped tooth. The dentist who did them retired. My new dentist said they couldn’t replace the bonding and suggested a dental crown. He said because it was a front tooth the only way to get it to match was to do two crowns. I trusted. him. Now I have two crowns on healthy teeth and, while the match each other, they’re grayer than the rest of my teeth and look fake. What do I do?

Cameron

Dear Cameron,

a before and after picture of dental bonding for a chipped tooth.

The biggest problem you have here is you’ve got a family dentist who doesn’t understand cosmetic dentistry. You needed composite bonding repaired. He didn’t know how to do that. Instead of telling you that, he says it can’t be done and you need crowns. Why crowns? Because those are what he’s familiar with.

A second issue is the fact that he said you needed two crowns in order to get them to match. A skilled cosmetic dentist can match a single crown to a front tooth.

In your place, I’d suggest you do one of two things. First, tell your dentist you need these crowns re-done. But, only allow him to do it on some conditions.

  • He’ll need to use a temporary try in paste so you can see the crowns in your mouth to make sure they’ll match and you are pleased with them.
  • If you’re not thrilled with them, he needs to be willing to re-do them until you are happy with them.

If he doesn’t agree to that, then my second suggestion is you ask for a refund. He told you the teeth would match and they don’t. He also lied to you about the possibility of just getting the dental bonding repaired. You have the right to a refund.

Once you secure that, it is time to find a good cosmetic dentist to do this properly.

Finding an Expert Cosmetic Dentist

I’m going to suggest you look for an AACD accredited dentist. You can look them up for your area at aacd.com. These are in the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country. There aren’t many of them, so it may be hard to find one depending on where you live.

If that’s the case, there is a second resource. Look on mynewsmile.com . They screen cosmetic dentists for both their technical knowledge and training, as well as their artistic ability. Any of their recommended dentists can provide you with two gorgeous crowns

You may want to consider whitening your teeth if you are going to get the crowns replaced, this will essentially give you a bit of a smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.