6745 Sugarloaf Parkway
Suite 200
Duluth, GA 30097

(770) 279-8800

Teeth Whitening and Brown Spots

Posted on by .

I have had brown spots on my front teeth ever since my adult teeth came in. I have good hygiene. I’ve been told the spots are from a fever I had as a child. Under the supervision of my dentist we have tried every single over the counter whitening product available. Unfortunately, all it does is make the area around the brown spots whiter which makes the spots look even darker. My dentist is suggesting that she grind off the brown spots now. I’m a little worried about this plan. First, I’m sure it will hurt. Second, she is not certain how much of the tooth she will have to remove. Do you think if we tried professional strength whitening, we’d have any more success? She doesn’t offer teeth whitening but would be willing to refer me. I think I’d rather try that first than the grinding thing.

Maria

Dear Maria,

before and after a dental bonding repair

While I am sure your dentist has the best of intentions and is trying to help you, she is out of her depth here. Please don’t let her expirement on your teeth any longer. Teeth whitening, even professional teeth whitening will not work in a situation such as yours. As you discovered with the over-the-counter whitening products. The bleaching ingredients only work on natural tooth structure. That is why you ended up with those mixed results.

The solution to this is some gentle microabrasion on the brown spots and then to cover the area with dental bonding. This is a composite resin that is shaped and bonded to your teeth. Unfortunately, your current dentist will not be able to do this. Teeth whitening is the most basic (simple) of the cosmetic procedures. On the other hand, dental bonding is an advanced cosmetic procedure that requires a significant amount of training.

In your place, I would look for someone with post-doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry. Be sure and ask to see before and after images of dental bonding cases they have personally done to ensure that they can make the results look blended and natural.

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

Did Teeth Whitening Hurt My Baby?

Posted on by .

I have a plan to work on my teeth, but it required some saving up before I could start. Here was my initial plan:
1. Teeth whitening
2. Change my silver fillings for the mercury-free kind
3. Possibly porcelain veneers on my front four teeth

I had just gotten the teeth whitening done a few weeks ago when I realized something was off with my cycle. I ran a test and learned I am pregnant. I looked it up and everything says NOT to whiten when you are pregnant. Now I am panicked that I did something which hurt my baby. Is there anything I can do?

Melanie T.

Dear Melanie,

Pregnant woman at dentist before treatment

First things first– Congratulations on becoming a mother!! This is such an exciting time in your life. I can already tell you are going to be a good mother based on your panic. That seems to be a common feeling in the best of mothers.

While it is true that it is recommended not to do any teeth whitening while pregnant, that is because there have not been any significant studies on the effects of teeth whitening on the unborn. As you can imagine, there is not a huge number of new mothers eager to allow the medical community to use their unborn children as test subjects. That being said, though there is no data either way, it is highly unlikely your procedure did any damage. I would take a deep breath and just move on from here.

I recommend you schedule your dental checkup to happen during your second trimester. This is the time the mother is most comfortable and the early danger time of pregnancy of the first trimester has passed.

As for your other plans. I would wait on switching out your amalgam fillings. While it is a good idea, the silver is made mostly of mercury—a known toxin. While there is a sanitary amalgam removal procedure that is designed to eliminate the danger of mercury inhalation, I would not want to risk even a little bit getting to your child. Once your child is born and weaned (if you’re breastfeeding), then you can move forward with the rest of your plans. Make sure you use a mercury-free dentist.

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

Pain with Teeth Whitening

Posted on by .

I’ve been whitening my teeth for several weeks with a home whitening kit. The last few days, though, I’ve started having a zing of pain that lasts for several seconds and then stops. It is always on the tooth where I had a dental bonding repair quite a few years ago. Could the teeth whitening be eating away at the dental bonding?

Nadia

Dear Nadia,

teeth bleaching trays

Teeth Bleaching Trays

I am sorry for the pain you are experiencing. The good news is I do not think teeth whitening is damaging the dental bonding. There has never been any evidence that whitening gel does any damage to bonding agents and it both have been around for a while, as well as used together. The more likely scenario is that a part of your dental bonding has come off leaving part of the tooth exposed and sensitive.

I am assuming that you are doing this home teeth whitening under the supervision of your dentist. My recommendation is you pause the whitening for a few days, call your dentist and let him know what is going on. He can track down where the exposure is and place a protective agent there to re-cover the spot. Then you can continue with your teeth whitening as you normally would, but this time pain free.

You should be aware that dental bonding doesn’t last as long as something like porcelain veneers. For something like a small chip repair, that is fine. Just know that you will need to replace it at some point or it will begin to pick up stains. When it does, teeth whitening won’t fix it. The whitening agents only work on natural tooth structure. The bonding will just have to be replaced.

I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.