I had some dental bonding done a couple of weeks ago. The intent was to have the some chips and wear on the teeth replaced. My dentist is the one who suggested it. I agreed because I have always wanted to have a pretty smile. The dental bonding made the teeth look way more bulky than they were. It almost look like I had halves of white chicklet gum stuck on them. They were obviously fake. They even made it hard for me to talk. I asked my dentist to take them off. She did, but now the teeth are bumpy and the colors are uneven. When I mentioned that, she told me that my teeth were like that before I just did not recognize them because the bonding made them look even. I know what my teeth looked like. Even though they were ugly, they were THAT ugly. What do you recommend I do?
Elle
Dear Elle,
My guess is you have a family dentist who was trying to learn a new skill. Unfortunately, she did it at your expense. Dental bonding should not ever add to the bulk of the tooth. As you can tell, it can interfere with speech patterns. It can also put the tooth at greater risk for decay because food and other bacteria can get trapped in the nooks created when there is too much structure. All dental bonding should do is replace the lost structure so it looks perfectly natural. Directly below, I have an image of a chipped tooth repaired with dental bonding. There is no difference in the two front teeth. their color and shape are similar. Not carbon copies, which would also look fake. We want similar.
Another mistake she made is the bonding removal. Maybe she told you this would be reversible if you didn’t like it as a selling point. However, as she is sanding or grinding off the composite bonding, how does she know where that ends and your natural tooth enamel begins? It is nearly impossible. I don’t know if she will be willing to give you a refund so you can get this done correctly, but if you have a clear image of what your teeth looked like before her work, that might give you some leverage.
You will want to see an expert cosmetic dentist to get this fixed. While you can go with dental bonding again if you want, my suggestion would be to get porcelain veneers instead. Bonding is good for small repairs. It sounds like your dentist did the entire tooth. If that is the case, porcelain veneers are more durable and will last you a few decades as opposed to the three to five years you’d get out of bonding. Look for an AACD accredited dentist. They are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Theodore Hadgis.