I have a chip on my front tooth. It was repaired by dental bonding. The last few days, I’ve been doing at-home teeth whitening. I’ve only been doing it a few days. Last night when I did it there was quite a good “Zing”. It was fast, but it caused me to jump. The source was the tooth where there’s been bonding. Does this mean that the teeth whitening is weakening the bond that’s fixed my chipped tooth?
Melissa A.
Dear Melissa,
Before Teeth Whitening
After Teeth Whitening
It’s an important question you asked and it illustrates why it is so important for patients undergoing teeth whitening to be under the care of a competent dentist. I assume you are.
I don’t think the teeth whitening gel is weakening your dental bonding. First, there is no evidence that bonding does that. As much teeth whitening and bonding that have been done, we’d see something. Instead, I think you have a spot that is sensitive.
Often, when a tooth has been injured and repaired a sensitive spot develops. If that spot loses some of its protection the result is an increase in sensitivity. Add in a strong chemical element such as whitening gel and you get that “zing” you experienced.
My recommendation is you call your dentist and let him know what happened. He (or she) can pinpoint the exact spot and place a protective coating over it. You’ll then be safe to resume your whitening pain-free.
One thing which is important to note is your dental bonding will not whiten along with your natural teeth. Instead, your teeth will whiten and the bonding will remain its original color. You’ll want to replace it to match your new color if it’s in a visible location.
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