I have been using an over-the-counter whitening product. It was going fine. Then this week I had a painful zing while wearing them. The spot is right where I have some old dental bonding done to repair a chipped tooth. Does this mean the teeth whitening gel is weakening the bond on that tooth? If so, what should I do?
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
The good news is that not even professional teeth whitening, which is significantly more powerful than anything you could get over the counter, will weaken the bonding on your tooth. When bonding weakens, you are more likely to have the entire repair fall off than just a zing. I haven’t examined you, but the most likely culprit is that you have a sensitive area that is being affected by the whitening agent.
My recommendation is for you to temporarily stop whitening until a dentist can look at it. if it is just a sensitive area, they can place some dental bonding on it so you won’t have sensitivity. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but teeth whitening, no matter what type will only work on natural tooth structure. This means the repair you had done for your chipped tooth will need to be replaced if you want it to match your whiter tooth color.
I am assuming you have a good dentist who has some skill with cosmetic bonding if you were happy with how your dental bonding matched your tooth. If so, have him look at your sensitive spot, cover it, then re-do all the bonding when you reach the level of whitening you want.
If you weren’t happy with how your dental bonding matched, then you need to find a more experienced cosmetic dentist. If you want a cosmetic dentist with proven skills, look for one who is AACD accredited. They are the best cosmetic dentists in the country.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.