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Can I Whiten Dental Bonding

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I have dental bonding which is over ten-years-old. It’s picking up some stains now. If I had some teeth whitening done, will it remove the stains and get them back to their original color?

Callie

Dear Callie,

Teeth Whitening Trays

Teeth Whitening Trays

If you do teeth whitening, it will actually make your dental bonding look worse. This is because your natural teeth will whiten, but your dental bonding will stay the same. Some dentists can do a polishing technique, but your particular dental bonding is really past their life span. I suggest you get them replaced at this point.

You didn’t say whether you have the bonding to fix a small area, such as a chipped or gapped tooth or you have it on complete tooth structure like a smile makeover. If you have it on your entire tooth structure, then I recommend you consider switching to porcelain veneers.

These are more stain-resistant and last significantly longer than dental bonding. Whichever you decide, you will want to get an expert cosmetic dentist to do this for you. If you’re happy with how your dentist did the bonding you have, you can stick with that dentist. If not, you’ll want to look for a dentist who is AACD accredited.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Luster Premium Teeth Whitening System

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I’m thinking about getting the Luster Premium Teeth Whitening kit. It has some good reviews but I’m still not sure. Have you looked at it before? With it having the light, it should work like the Zoom Whitening, but it costs so much less it has me suspicious.

Dena

Dear Dena,

teeth whitening trays

I’m glad you wrote. There is a reason it costs less. This is nothing like the Zoom Whitening system you get at a dentist’s office. After looking at the system and its ingredients, I think it would be a profound waste of money. The light isn’t strong enough to do anything and is likely there for psychological effect.

As for the whitening ingredient, I would more call it a pigment—zinc oxide. The pigment sticks to the teeth, which will make them look whiter for a time, but that color will gradually fade off. If you’re looking strictly for an over-the-counter whitening system, Crest Whitestrips does work, though it has some disadvantages to be aware of. If you can live with those, that is the system I would go with.

Disadvantages of Crest Whitestrips

Its Strength

Anything able to be purchased over the counter will not be as strong as anything you get from a medical professional. This is for the safety of the patient. The whitestrips will still whiten your teeth, but you will need to use quite a few boxes to equal the whitening you would get with a dentist.

Its Reach

The Whitestrips only cover the first 4-6 teeth, depending on the shape of your bite. Most smiles are 8-10 teeth wide. This means you’d have to double the number of strips you use to whiten everything. Between that and needing to use more boxes to get the same amount of whitening, I’m not sure how much you’ll save.

Professional Teeth Whitneing

While professional teeth whitening has the disadvantage of being more expensive initially, you will get better results faster. Plus, if you keep the whitening trays, you can touch up your teeth with very little expense.

The advantages are three-fold.

Strength & Effectiveness

Because it is administered by a medical professional, the potency of the whitening gel is significantly higher which will allow you to get whiter faster. As you can see from the image of the whitening trays above, these are custom designed to fit your bite snuggly. That will keep the gel in place enabling it to see deep into the tooth.

Protection

You are under the care and supervision of a dentist during your treatment, this means you’ll have someone keeping an eye on the health of you gums and fillings, etc. during the course of your treatment and can head off any possible complications.

Teeth Whitening in One Appointment

If you want to whiten your teeth as quickly as possible, you can see if your dentist uses Zoom Whitening. I can tell from your question, you are already familiar with it, but for the benefit of those who aren’t you can learn more by clicking on this link: Zoom Whitening.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Clorox Bleach for Teeth Whitening

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teeth whitening trays

I periodically see this question on Yahoo Answers where someone asks if it is safe to use Clorox Bleach for teeth whitening at home. Usually, there are people who respond in horror to the idea. Though I understand why they have such a visceral reaction, it may help them to know that although not used for teeth whitening (with good reason), many dentists will use bleach in other procedures. For instance, a technique taught in dental school is to use bleach in a root canal treatment, to clean out all the debris in a cleaned out root and to disinfect the tooth.

Why it is not recommended for teeth whitening is because it is a strong base, such as lye. It will burn living tissue. So, unless you have a way to keep it on your teeth for 15 minutes and away from your gums and mouth tissue that whole time, it’s not a good solution for teeth whitening.

If you’re looking to improve your smile, there are a few ways to go about it. All of them are more safely done with a trained cosmetic dentist.

A quick method that gives you great bang for your buck is the get your teeth professionally whitened. You can do it a little at a time with take-home trays or all at once with Zoom Whitening.

If there are other things you’d like to change about the look of your teeth, you’ll find porcelain veneers can give you a complete smile makeover. In fact, it is the go-to procedure for celebrities who want that Hollywood Smile.

Do You Need a Special Dentist to Improve Your Smile

With teeth whitening, no special training is necessary. Any family dentist should be able to do the procedure. It’s pretty hard to mess up. However, Zoom Whitening does require special equipment. So, you’d need a dentist who invested in that.

Porcelain veneers are a totally different story. If you want to go all out and get a smile makeover, you will need a dentist who invested in the training necessary to do beautiful smile makeovers— a procedure which unfortunately isn’t taught in dental school.

Cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty so any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist. Your best way to ensure a beautiful result is to go to an AACD accredited dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Teeth Whitening with a Smile Makeover

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I want to get a smile makeover with porcelain veneers, but have a couple of questions first. 1. Will I need to do teeth whitening before getting the porcelain veneers or after? 2. If I have one slightly crooked tooth, will I need to get Invisalign before getting the veneers?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

teeth whitening trays

Teeth Whitening and Smile Makeovers

A good cosmetic dentist will recommend you get your teeth whitened before you get porcelain veneers done. This is for two reasons. First, the color of your porcelain veneers is permanent. If you decide to do teeth whitening afterward, your natural teeth will whiten, but the veneers will not.

A second reason is to get your bottom teeth white. In most cases, you won’t need to place porcelain veneers on your bottom arch. However, you don’t want there to be a huge color difference. Teeth whitening prevents that.

Invisalign and Smile Makeovers

Unless you have a complicated orthodontic case, you would usually either do porcelain veneers or Invisalign. You wouldn’t need to do both. Based on what you described, Invisalign wouldn’t be necessary in your case. The porcelain veneers can make your teeth look straight.

When it comes to teeth whitening, you don’t need a skilled cosmetic dentist to do the procedure. It’s a straightforward process and just about any dentist can do it.

Porcelain veneers are different. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. If you want to have beautiful results, you’ll want a dentist who has invested time in post-doctoral training in porcelain veneers and the art of smile makeovers. Your case, in particular, requires some shaving of the crooked tooth so you want to make sure you get a dentist who knows what they’re doing.

In your place, I’d go to the website of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. They have a link to find a dentist. Check that you are looking for an accredited cosmetic dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. Any one of them will provide you with a stunning smile.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Saving Money on Zoom Whitening with Urine?

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I looked into getting Zoom Whitening done. It was a tad pricier than I was expecting. Don’t gross out, but I read somewhere that in ancient times people would whiten their teeth with urine. Is that true? Don’t judge me.

Name Withheld

Dear Name Withheld,

Your memory regarding history is accurate. The Romans used to use urine as a means of whitening their teeth. The ammonia in urine is why it works, though it is a slow process. It is also not the most hygienic method available. Throughout history, cultures have tried a variety of methods. The Egyptians would use ground up pumice mixed with vinegar. In the 1600s barbers cared for both hair and teeth. Though their whitening method worked— grinding down your teeth and adding acid — it led to serious problems with decay.

Before you run off to a barber with questionable historical hobbies or start collecting your urine, you have some options.

Paying for Teeth Whitening

When the whitening gel is in place, the laser is focused on your teeth. Zoom whitening is more expensive than at home whitening. This is because it uses more time at the dentist’s office and the equipment costs more. The biggest benefit to this method is your teeth are completely whitened in just one sitting. However, you can save money by having your dentist make you custom teeth whitening trays and give you gel to use at home at your convenience. Your teeth can get equally white, but it will just take a bit longer — a few weeks as opposed to one appointment.

Other options include asking your dentist if he or she would allow you to pay it out. Some dentists have in office payment plans. Others have a free teeth whitening program as long as you keep up with your regular checkups and cleanings. Some offices work through Care Credit, which is a medical credit card. It has low and no interest payments and there is no penalty for early pay off.

Teeth Whitening’s Limitations

Whitening your teeth is a fast affordable way to make your smile look years younger. You need to be aware it will only whiten natural tooth structure. If you have dental work done, such as fillings or dental crowns, they won’t whiten along with your teeth. If they’re visible, you’ll want to replace them after your whitening is done to match.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Dentist Said I Want My Teeth Too White

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I want to get my teeth whitened and then replace a crown to match it. I showed him how white I wanted it and he said I want them too white. He feels it wouldn’t look natural. I see people with white teeth like that all the time, especially like news readers on television. Am I being unreasonable?

Laura

Dear Laura,

We have people come to our office all the time who’ve bumped up against this problem. Dentists who don’t do a lot of cosmetic work have a lot of misconceptions about both teeth whitening and smile makeovers.

If you look at the smile guide below you’ll notice the whitest shade isn’t as white as most people want their teeth today.

tooth shade guide
Old Shade Guide

This was the standard guide for dentists when it came to coloring dental work. They used this to match shades of teeth. Then teeth whitening came on the scene and teeth were able to get much whiter.

As more and more patients were interested in brighter smiles, a new smile guide came out to accomadate the whiter shades more and more patient’s wanted.

updated shade guide

Updated Shade Guide

You Need a Cosmetic Dentist

If you want this done right, you’re likely going to have to go to a dentist who’s invested a lot of time in cosmetic training. While almost any dentist can generally do teeth whitening, you’re also talking about needing a crown re-done to match your new color properly.

To get it the whiteness you want and blend beautifully and naturally, you want an expert cosmetic dentist.

My suggestion is you look for either an AACD accredited dentist or one who is recommended by the mynewsmile.com website. They screen cosmetic dentists ahead of time so you can know they’ll do a fantastic job.

This blog is brouht to you by Grosse Pointe Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

How White Can Veneers Get?

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I’m a little confused. I’ve seen some smile makeovers that were truly stunning. All of them were quite white. I talked to my dentist about wanting a smile makeover. He was fine with that and said he’s done several. We met for a consultation to decide what type of smile I wanted. I actually knew exactly what I wanted. I described it and brought pictures. he said it wouldn’t be a problem. I was so excited and couldn’t wait. When the porcelain veneers were bonded on, however, it was quite a different story. They weren’t nearly as white as I had described. The shape was fine, but I was completely disappointed with the color. I mentioned to him it wasn’t what we had discussed. He told me that is the whitest natural looking smile you can get and anything else would look fake. That can’t be right, can it?

Peggy

Dear Peggy,

There are a few clues here that your dentist isn’t a true cosmetic dentist, but just dabbles in cosmetic dentistry. First, he bonded on your porcelain veneers without getting your approval first. A true cosmetic dentist would have used a try-in paste first. This way you’d have gotten to look at them and approve them. If you wanted changes, they could still be done.

The next issue is his attitude toward a “natural” looking smile. Look at the image directly below. this was considered the natural looking tooth colors that dentists used to help match a dental crown, etc.

tooth shade guide
Old Shade Guide

Then, people started getting their teeth whitened. The teeth whitening procedure was able to get their teeth whiter than the “natural shades”. As a result, cosmetic dentists realized the demand for whiter smiles would increase and would become a new standard in natural. Now we have a new shade guide (pictured below).

updated shade guide
Updated Shade Guide

As you can see the added shades on the left are much whiter.

Your Veneers Won’t Whiten

Unfortunately, only natural tooth structure whitens. Once your porcelain veneers are bonded on, the case will have to be done again from scratch. You have a good case for a refund because your dentist didn’t follow your instructions and didn’t get your okay before bonding them.

Once you get that refund, I want you to go to an AACD accredited dentist for the real deal.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Solved: The Case of the Mysterious Brown Spots

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I’ve developed weird brown spots on my teeth. My dentist said it looks like I’m getting too much fluoride. My city recently added fluoride to our drinking water, so I’ve switched to non-fluorinated bottled water. I do drink a lot of green tea, which I just found out is also loaded with fluoride so I guess this is the case. Would bonding help me with these stains if I give up the tea?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

teeth whitening trays

Why in the world your dentist told you fluorosis caused your brown stains is beyond me. It’s beyond incompetence. Every dentist should know that fluorosis stains are developed in childhood while your adult teeth are forming. You would have had them when your adult teeth first came in. Adults do not develop fluorosis. You seriously need a more competent dentist.

Types of Teeth Staining

External Stains

This is when something attaches itself to the outside of the teeth and should be easily removed. A great toothpaste for this type of staining is Supersmile Toothpaste. It’s also what most cosmetic dentists recommend for their patients who had cosmetic work done on their teeth.

Internal Stains

These are stains absorbed into the teeth, usually by food and drink. Two of the biggest culprits for these are coffee and tea. You mentioned you drank a lot of tea, so this is most likely the culprit in your case.

Teeth Whitening Verses Bonding

For internal stains, the only thing which will remove it is teeth whitening. Professional teeth whitening is very strong and will give you that youthful white you started out with. While dental bonding would cover the stains, this treatment has two distinct disadvantages.

  • It is significantly more expensive than teeth whitening.
  • It requires an expert cosmetic dentist.

Which treatment you do is totally up to you. If you decide to cover the stain with bonding, to get an attractive, natural-looking result I’d look on the mynewsmile.com website. They have a search function for expert cosmetic dentists by area.

Any of the dentists recommended on their site will do a fine job for you.

This blog is brought to you Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Dentist Lied to Me about Teeth Whitening and Crowns

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I’m not sure what to do. My dentist gave me a crown and said he’d give me the whitest shade available because I whiten my teeth. The temporary was darker, which was embarrassing but he swore up and down the permanent one was whiter and the permanent one would be bonded on with their whitest bonding agent which makes it whiter. When the crown came back it was at least two shades darker than my teeth, just like my temporary one. I was very upset and wouldn’t let him bond it on. He was equally upset and pulled out some kind of colored tooth guide to prove to me he used the whitest shade. He said I wouldn’t have any better luck elsewhere. I’m sad we parted on bad terms, but we’re talking about my smile. I don’t want to be embarrassed for the rest of my life. Please, please tell me I will have better luck elsewhere. Surely other people who whiten have had to have crowns.

Leslie

Dear Leslie,

tooth shade guide

Old Shade Guide

My guess is your dentist showed you a shade guide just like the one above. This is intended to help dentists match dental work to the shade of the patient’s teeth. It worked fine for many years. Then, teeth whitening became popular and that shade guide was no longer accurate.

Yes, teeth whitening will remove stains and things to make your teeth the color they were in your youth before years of eating and drinking accumulated stains. However, what most people don’t know is it will also whiten natural tooth structure as well.

Teeth Whitening Changed the Game

updated shade guide

Updated Shade Guide

As teeth whitening grew more popular, dentist began having trouble matching up the new shades of teeth with the guides they had. Fortunately, the shade guide caught up and added an extension with cosmetic shades.

Any true cosmetic dentist goes by the updated guide. Your dentist isn’t a true cosmetic dentist. I realize he may be the dentist who whitens your teeth, but that doesn’t require any real cosmetic expertise. Any dentist can do it. However, if you were going for a true cosmetic procedure, such as porcelain veneers, it would require a serious cosmetic dentist with technical skill and real artistry.

As for your porcelain crown. It’s great that you didn’t have it permanently bonded. Try another cosmetic dentist. They can get you a gorgeous crown that matches your white color— no matter how white it is.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.

Root Canal because of Crest Whitestrips?

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I had a damaged tooth years ago that was repaired by an oral surgeon. Since the repair, it’s always been a bit discolored and the gum misplaced in a way that exposes some dentin. I’d decided I wanted to try to get the color even with the rest of my teeth. My dentist suggested I try Crest Whitestrips. I was excited to try them. Everything was fine for the first week. Then, my injured tooth began to hurt. At first, I thought it was a fluke but when the pain didn’t subside, I decided to stop the treatment. It’s been two weeks and the pain is still there. My dentist thinks I need root canal treatment. I have some questions. Do you think a root canal treatment is the way to go? If so, is this a common side effect of teeth whitening? If so, should I have been warned of this ahead of time?

Annabeth

Dear Annabeth,

teeth whitening trays

Can teeth whitening lead to needing a root canal?

First, I need to express that your dentist doesn’t understand much about teeth whitening. Which, if I’m honest, sort of frightens me. While there are quite a few cosmetic procedures, such as a smile makeover with porcelain veneers, which require serious expertise, teeth whitening generally isn’t one of them. That’s a procedure I’d thought every dentist understood, at least until your question.

The first thing he did wrong is forgetting that the whitening strips only whiten your front six teeth. While it obviously was able to reach the necessary tooth, it will whiten all six teeth uniformly. So, while your darker tooth will whiten, so will the other five along with it, causing it still to be the tooth which is darker than the others.

Did the Teeth Whitening Cause this?

I’m not sure what’s going on with your sensitive tooth. While it is certainly irritated, I couldn’t tell you if it is infected. An x-ray should help. Also, a cold-sensitivity test would indicate a need for a root canal treatment.

As for whether or not bleaching your teeth can cause sensitive teeth, it’s possible. It’s always important to do any whitening procedure under the supervision of a dentist. While Crest Whitestrips are much weaker than professional teeth whitening, you do have exposed dentin. It’s possible the whitening just threw the tooth over the edge.

The bigger question for you is where do you go from here? I’d get a second opinion from a different dentist. Let them do an x-ray and exam along with a test for cold sensitivity. If a root canal treatment is necessary it will solve the problem. If it’s not, he can help you discover what is.

Can You Get This Tooth to Look Beautiful?

If you really want to improve the look of your smile, what you need is a consultation with a truly skilled cosmetic dentist. It takes both technical knowledge and skill, along with an artistic eye to create beautiful smiles. See if there is an AACD accredited dentist in your area. If not, check the mynewsmile.com website and see who they recommend near you.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.