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Dental Bonding Looks Terrible

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My daughter, who is eleven years old, had a accident. The result was that it broke out the middle of the tooth where it looks like she has an empty picture frame with some pieces missing. Our family dentist suggested to repair it with dental bonding. The bonding was horrible. It’s uneven to the point of being lumpy. It’s also too short. I don’t know what to do. She’s devastated and I don’t blame her. Is there a way to fix this?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

Before and After dental bonding

I’m sorry this happened to your daughter. I know she is distressed. As you can see from the image above, dental bonding can be done beautifully as well as blend naturally to the remainder of the tooth structure.

The good news is that this can be fixed. However, it will require a different dentist. Dental bonding is an advanced cosmetic dentistry procedure that has to be done freehand. Very few family dentists invest in the post-doctoral training necessary to do cosmetic bonding. They have some bonding experience from fillings, but that does not qualify them for what your daughter needs.

More good news. I’m relieved that your dentist did not recommend dental crowns for your daughter. Many inexperienced cosmetic dentists would have done that. However, the pulp of a child your daughter’s age is very large. Doing a crown on them would likely kill the pulp and require a root canal treatment. Secondly, the tooth is still erupting. that means the margin would be exposed not only making it obvious she’s wearing a crown but put her at risk for decay.

My suggestion is that you ask for a refund on the bonding. Hopefully, he has the integrity to realize his work was subpar and not want to damage the self-esteem of a child. Then, you need to look for a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral cosmetic training. As an added precaution, I would recommend that you also take a peek at their smile gallery. You want to see what type of results they get with their work. If you don’t love it, find someone else. If they don’t have a smile gallery, then they do not do enough cosmetic work for you to even consider them.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Dental Bonding Staining in a Few Weeks

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I had dental bonding done on a few of my upper front teeth about three weeks ago. They have started staining. I don’t know if it is because I drink coffee and soda. My dentist never mentioned staying away from those. I have a couple of questions. First, can the dentist get the dental bonding looking like it did a few weeks ago? Second, if I use something like Supersmile toothpaste, will it keep those type of stains off or do I need to stop drinking them. Please say I do not need to stop drinking them.

Melody

Dear Melody,

Before and After Dental Bonding repairing a chipped tooth

I am glad that you wrote. While it is true that dental bonding is more susceptible to stains, it should not be staining this quickly. My guess is you had a regular family dentist do this who does composite fillings and thought the bonding would be the same. Here is what I think happened. Bear in mind that I have not examined you, but I’m trying to think about what could cause this.

Composite used in dental bonding is a blend of resin and inorganic fillers. Their are different types of fillers and which one your dentist uses makes a big difference. Some of the particles in the fillers include silica, quartz, and glass, and they are in particles of different sizes.

Hybrid composites are stronger because of the size of the particles, but these cannot be polished to a good shine. Microfills can be polished to a high luster that mimics tooth enamel, but they’re very small and, as a result, not very strong.

Most family dentists only carry the hybrid, high-strength composite fillers. Expert cosmetic dentists will stock a variety of fillers that contain both the hybrid, as well as the microfills.

When expert composite dentists are doing aesthetic bonding, they will combine the two. They’ll use the hybrids on the interior of the tooth for strength and then cover the surface with the microfills so they can have a high polish.

My suggestion is that you go back to your dentist and see if he can polish it up. If he can’t, then I would go to an expert cosmetic dentist to have it done.

If the bonding is on a small surface, like for a chipped tooth or a tooth gap, then stick with the bonding. However, if you have large surfaces of the teeth covered in bonding, I suggest you switch to porcelain veneers. It would be a more beautiful option that lasts many years longer.

As for Supersmile Toothpaste, it is the only one I would recommend for cosmetic dental work. It is very good at safely removing surface stains. If yours are more internal, it won’t do anything for those.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Fixing a Broken Lower Front Tooth

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I fell during a track meet and broke part of my lower front tooth. It’s a small chip, but it is a bit ragged and hurts my lip. My dentist tried repairing it but the bonding (what I think they called it) just keeps falling off. My mother doesn’t think there is anything else they can do. I’m hoping there is some new medicine or technology that can just help the tooth regrow. Do you know of any new things?

Amaya

Dear Amaya,

Images before and after a dental bonding repair.

The problem you are facing is that the edges of the bottom teeth hit the upper incisal edges every time you close your mouth. While a bonding repair is the correct repair for a chipped tooth it requires the dentist to know about occlusion. This takes post-doctoral training and not many dentists invest in this training.

This can be repaired with either composite bonding or with porcelain veneers. The problem you are up against is that you need an expert cosmetic dentist to do the work. When done right, it will not fall off and your mother will not have to keep taking you back and forth to the dentist to get it placed back on.

If you can, either you or your mother should look for a dentist who has studied at one of these schools:

  • The Dawson Academy
  • The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies
  • The Pankey Institute

There are others, but these are three great ones that have special training in both TMJ Disorder and occlusion. Then, you’ll need to take the additional step of looking at their smile gallery to see what type of cosmetic work they do. Look at both bonding and porcelain veneer cases. You’ll want them to be something you find beautiful.

I hope this helps you.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Fixing Enamel Hypoplasia

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I have had enamel hypoplasia for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been embarrassed by my smile as a result. For my Christmas present, my husband said I could have any cosmetic dentistry procedure I need that will make me more comfortable smiling. I am so freaking excited!! The only problem I have is that I do not know what procedure I need to get. Do you have a recommendation?

Madilyn

Dear Madilyn,

Examples of mild and severe enamel hypoplasia

What an exciting present for you! There is no better feeling than a smile that makes you feel confident. For the benefit of those who may not be aware of what enamel hypoplasia is let me give a basic rundown. Enamel hypoplasia is a either caused by a genetic defect or disease that happens during the development of your teeth. The result is that the enamel on  your teeth do not fully develop. The results can vary between  some decalcification, such as on the left or deep pitted teeth, such as on the right.

There are two good treatments for enamel hypoplasia. Which you get depends on the severity of your particular case. If you are dealing with mild hypoplasia, then dental bonding is a perfectly good solution. If you want your teeth whiter, make sure you have teeth whitening done before the bonding. Once the dental bonding is completed, the color can’t be changed.

If, however, you have more severe hypoplasia, then you will want to get porcelain veneers instead. While dental bonding can just be placed on the specific spots where your enamel is affected, porcelain veneers will cover the entire front surface of your teeth.

Regardless of the procedure chosen, you will need someone with post-doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry. These are both advanced procedures. You would be wise to take a look at their smile gallery. This will have before and after images of their work. You want to feel excited about the type of results they get.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Dental Bonding Does Not Match

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I had some dental bonding done on a chipped tooth. My family dentist did the repair but the color is off and it makes it obvious that it is a repair for a chip. Should I have my dentist redo this or just go straight to someone else? If my dentist should be the one to redo it, should I be charged for the second procedure?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

before and after a dental bonding repair

It is possible to get a beautiful, natural repair with dental bonding. However, your average family dentist will have a bit of trouble getting it to look that way. They are not generally invested or trained in cosmetic work, and it does require some specialized training as well as ingredients.

My recommendation is to give your dentist another chance. We all start somewhere. Just make sure he understands that if he can’t get the results to blend this time that he will give a refund and you’ll go somewhere else. You should not have to pay for the second appointment because he should have matched the color properly to begin with.

On the off chance that he can’t do it properly the second time, you might want to do some preplanning. You will want a dentist who not only has post-doctoral training but also has an artistic eye. I’d look at their smile gallery to see what type of results they get when they do composite bonding to make sure you will actually get good results this time around.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Will Teeth Whitening Fix My Dental Bonding

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My dental bonding has been picking up stains. They used to be very white. I was hoping to get them back to where they were.

Karl

Dear Karl,

Before and After Dental Bonding

Unfortunately, teeth whitening will only whiten natural tooth structure. It will have no impact on your dental bonding. You didn’t mention how long you have had this bonding or what type of stains you are dealing with. That will have some impact on the best advice to give you. Here is some general help, though.

If your bonding still has the polish on it and you are dealing with surface stains, I am going to recommend Supersmile Toothpaste. Unlike most whitening toothpastes that use abrasives which damage your bonding, Supersmile uses an ingredient Calprox, which will enzymatically remove the stains. It does this by dissolving the protein pellicle on your teeth and the stains attach themselves to the pellicle. Get rid of the pellicle; get rid of the stains.

However, if the polish to your dental bonding is gone, then they have been damaged and the best thing you can do is have them re-done. If you haven’t had these long, then I would go back to your dentist and see if he or she will be willing to fix them. If you have had them a while, it may just be time to replace them. Dental bonding does not last nearly as long as porcelain veneers, so I would expect to replace them every few years.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Dental Bonding Turning Yellow in Under a Week

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I’m worried I did something that could have damaged my new dental bonding because I haven’t even had it a week yet and it is already turning yellow. The only thing I can think that could have possibly done anything is the baking soda I use to brush with. I’ve always brushed with baking soda but maybe there is a chemical reaction with the bonding material? I have no idea. Will getting my teeth whitened fix this or do I have to start over?

Kellie

Dear Kellie,

before and after dental bonding

Dental Bonding used to repair a chipped tooth

I am glad you reached out. Teeth whitening will only whiten natural tooth structure. Because of that, it will not be a help in getting your dental bonding back to its original color. However, there is a polishing your dentist can do that will get the color back up.

He (or she) obviously did not give you any instructions on how to care for these, which bothers me some. Because you’ve only had your dental bonding for under a week and he should have explained to you what type of toothpaste to use, it is my belief he should repair this for you free of charge.

Baking soda is fairly abrasive so it is possible that it damaged the surface and that is why it is picking up stains. I generally recommend patients who have cosmetic work done use Supersmile Toothpaste. It is proven to keep your teeth clean while not damaging either your natural tooth structure or your dental work. It’s fairly easy to order online.

If after your dentist repairs the surface, make certain you are using Supersmile. If this same thing happens, it may be an indication your dentist is using inferior materials and you would need a better cosmetic dentist to restore them. It won’t cost as much as having them redone.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David P. Marion.