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,
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.
