Archive for the ‘Tooth Bonding’ Category

Broken front tooth on 10 year old

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Is it common protocol to wait more than three weeks to fix a broken tooth? My youngest child fell and smashed her two front teeth yesterday afternoon, and our family dentist said this morning that he can’t fix it until early next month! I don’t know anyone who has had this happen to a younger child (she is 10), but that just seems like a really long time to wait.

One of the teeth was broken in half diagonally, and the other is cracked all the way across. We could not locate the part of the tooth that broke off, and I wondered if that was part of the reason he felt he could delay treatment. He told us the root has to “desensitize”. I don’t want to demand treatment right now if it will hurt her down the road, but I do NOT want to wait almost a month to get this fixed.

What should we do? Thanks very much for your help and advice.

Katie in Michigan

Dear Katie,

There is no medical reason to delay treatment. Your dentist’s full schedule may actually be a bit of a boon – unless your general dentist is also an expert, experienced cosmetic dentist, you don’t want him taking care of this for you. In a situation like this, our office strongly recommends choosing an expert cosmetic dentist to make the repairs.

Becuase of your daughter’s age, you probably won’t want to go with a porcelain crown at this time, though she may need one later. Direct dental bonding would be the recommended treatment for the broken tooth, but that is an artistically and technically demanding technique that only the most talented cosmetic dentists can do well. These are the most visible teeth in her mouth, and you want them to look good. When she gets older, she can be fitted with a porcelain crown (or two, depending on the degree of damage to the other tooth), but in the meantime, you do not want her to be embarrassed every time she smiles.

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Can a dentist “reverse” dental bonding?

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

I am really unhappy with some recent dental work I had done, and want to ask your advice about what to do about it. I asked my dentist to fix the gap in my front teeth. Besides the gap, they were also chipped into the shape of a “V”, and I saw a show on TV where a dentist used dental bonding to fix teeth that looked just like mine. My dentist didn’t seem very enthusiastic, but she agreed to do it. The problem is, I don’t feel like she did a good job! I still have a gap, and there are places where the bonding material is actually visible, and I don’t think you are supposed to be able to see that. My smile looks better, but it is still not at all what I had in mind.

What should I do? Do I just have to live with this? Should I ask her for porcelain veneers instead? I need your help.

-Florence from Orlando

Dear Florence,

There is good news. The bonding you had done on your teeth is absolutely reversible. The bonding material can be taken off using a special sandpaper that any dentist should have on hand, right down to the original enamel.

Before you ask your dentist to do anything, though, you should first think about finding a new dentist for this kind of work. If you dentist was not comfortable doing the dental bonding work, it was probably because she is not properly trained in the techniques necessary to do a really beautiful job. Only a really talented and highly trained cosmetic dentist has the skill to do bonding work on front teeth. Make sure you put this task in the hands of the right professional. Your regular dentist may be fine for routine dental care, but very few dentists have the skills and training to do that kind of  freehand bonding work. Check to make sure the dentist you choose is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

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My bonding looks like Chicklets

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

I have had several of my front teeth bonded, due to a large space and some of the teeth were very small. My concern is they look like Chicklets and they are yellow and the bonding continues to come off from flossing my teeth. What would you be suggest? I really don’t even want to smile anymore, I feel like they look terrible.
- Karen in West Virginia

Karen,
What you have is typical of what you see from a lot of dentists, because they aren’t artistic. It takes some artistic talent to make teeth that look lifelike, and tooth bonding has to be sculpted by the dentist, freehand, so it is difficult for most dentists to do well. And they could be yellow because the dentist didn’t have the glossy, stain-resistant bonding materials in stock that dentists who love doing cosmetic dentistry use.

And if pieces are coming off when you floss, it’s possible it wasn’t bonded on well.

Having said that, if there are large areas of several front teeth that need cosmetic dental work, I would tend to recommend having porcelain veneers over the tooth bonding. Porcelain is extremely stain resistant and more durable. Tooth bonding, even if it is done well, tends to dull in a couple of years.

Related links:
Cleveland Porcelain Veneers
Cleveland Lumineers

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Do I have to be numbed for tooth bonding?

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

When getting a front tooth bonded is there any numbing needed? Do they have to give me a shot of Novocain in my gums?
- Meghan in New York

Meghan,
Doing bonding to a tooth, in itself, doesn’t require the use of Novocain. It’s only if there is also a cavity or if the tooth has to be shaved back considerably that numbing would be required. But even if a tooth has a broken corner, it could be bonded without Novocain and without any pain.

Another thing that makes tooth bonding easy for the patient is that it is done in the front of the mouth where it is easy for the dentist to isolate the tooth and keep it dry without discomfort.

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Can my family dentist do the fillings in my front teeth?

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Hi! My front teeth have decay and discoloration. I understand that the cavities must be drilled and filled. Since they’re on my front teeth, I was wondering if I should go to a cosmetic dentist or a general dentist. I am afraid that the bonding done won’t match the rest of my teeth, and I’d end up having spotted/yellow front teeth. My mother is very convinced that my current dentist is capable of performing the job. My dentist is really nice, but I don’t know how to make sure she is a certified cosmetic dentist. She has been my general dentist for many years.

Do cosmetic dentists also work as general dentists, or do they branch out and focus on only cosmetic dentistry?

If she does make a mistake on my teeth (ie: bonding material doesn’t match teeth), can a cosmetic dentist reverse this?
- Alicia in New York

Dear Alicia,
Yes, your family dentist can probably do the fillings in your front teeth and they will turn out okay. Dentists are taught in dental school how to do white fillings in front teeth, and if the decay isn’t too large, they should turn out fine. He or she should know the basics of color matching and how to do your fillings so they will hold up well. If the area involved for each spot is small, the exact color matching isn’t that critical. The color can be in the ballpark and if there is some translucency to the material, it should pick up the color of your teeth all right. So while an expert cosmetic dentist would probably do a nicer job for you, the difference wouldn’t be that critical for this type of procedure, and if you otherwise like your dentist, I’d stick with her.

Cosmetic dentists like Dr. Goldstein all will do general dentistry: cleanings, fillings, crowns, and all the rest. It’s just that we do everything using white, attractive materials, and with an artistic touch.

And, to your last question, yes, if there is a problem, an expert cosmetic dentist can go in and re-surface the fillings to match better.

Where general dentists get in trouble with the white fillings is in two situations:

  • When there is a large area of the tooth to be covered, like say a third of the front of the tooth, or if there is a missing corner that has to be free-handed back into the correct shape. For large areas, the colors in the tooth have to be blended, and the filling needs a glossy surface in order to look right.
  • In doing white fillings on back teeth. The technique for doing white fillings on back teeth is very different from front teeth, and it often isn’t taught in dental school.

Links to related information:
Dental bonding
Dr. Goldstein’s credentials and awards
Cleveland cosmetic dentist

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Can you put a porcelain veneer over dental bonding?

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

My daugter chipped about 1/2 of her front tooth off when she was 8. It was bonded and still looks very good, but the lower edge is a little transparent. She is now 21 and is considering veneers. Can a veneer be placed over a 1/2 bonded tooth, or will a crown be required first? Would you recomeend veneers for both front teeth to insure a match in color?
- Ray

Ray,
Yes, a porcelain veneer can be placed over a tooth that is half tooth bonding. However, the problem is that the porcelain is much more durable than the bonding, so the lifespan of the veneer would be limited by the bonding. It wouldn’t likely cost any more to get an all-porcelain crown on that tooth–we charge the same for either service. The disadvantage is that a crown requires grinding away more of the tooth. But if half of it is gone already, I wouldn’t consider that an issue. The advantage is that the crown would last much longer.

Many dentists have problem matching the color of a single front tooth. However, we feel confident that we can get a perfect match for you. Color training and an eye for color are an important difference between a general dentist who enjoys doing some cosmetic dentistry and a genuine cosmetic dentist who has an artistic flair and a passion for appearance-related dentistry.

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Closing a tooth gap

Tuesday, August 14th, 2007

Hi, my name is Tori, I’m only 16 and I’m currently working my butt off at an ice cream store to try and save up to get a minor gap in my two front teeth fixed. I was wondering if Lumineers or porcelain veneers would be right for me though? I would only want my two front teeth to be done since they are the ones with the gap in between but being so young I want something thats going to last for as long as possible.
Thankyou,
Tori.

Tori,
The best and least expensive way to close a gap between your two front teeth, if it isn’t too large, is with direct tooth bonding, where composite resin is bonded to your teeth and is colored and shaped to match the existing teeth.

Many dentists aren’t comfortable with doing this because they don’t have enough artistic ability. But it works very well, and if it’s done right will last for many years. Dr. Goldstein is comfortable doing direct tooth bonding and does a beautiful job.

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