Archives for April 2021

Can I Get a Better Smile without Bonding?

Posted on April 28, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have slightly discolored teeth, due to aging. A few years back, I also fell and chipped my front tooth. My dentist did composite bonding on that and I’ve never been happy with it. It doesn’t match the rest of my teeth and never has. Plus, there is a gap that wasn’t there before. I went to him about the discoloration for all my teeth to see what he’d recommend and he wants to do composite bonding on the top eight teeth. I am a little leary of this given how the gap turned out. Is there another way to handle this?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

You bet there are other ways to handle this. My first suggestion would be to simply have professional teeth whitening done. This will take care of the discoloration you are talking about.

The next step would be to replace the badly done dental bonding. The problem you faced with the bonding was not the procedure as much as it is the dentist who did the procedure. He could have matched your teeth perfectly and not had any gaps. The fact that he was not able to accomplish that tells me he is not a skilled cosmetic dentist.

If the only things you want to change about your smile are the color and this bonding, then I would simply find a better cosmetic dentist. Look for an AACD accredited dentist to do your work. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the country.

If, however, there are other things about your smile you are hoping to change, then I would look into getting porcelain veneers. These can give you a complete smile makeover. They’re able to change anything about your smile, including the color, shape, size, and character.

Like the dental bonding, it will require an expert cosmetic dentist, but when well cared for they will last for many years. Whatever you do, don’t go back to the same dentist who could not get your chip repaired properly.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Why You Have to Carefully Pick Your Cosmetic Dentist

Posted on April 18, 2021 by writeradmin.

I had a chipped tooth which was repaired with dental bonding. That bonding fell off so I went to another dentist. This dentist said that bonding was not possible because 1/5 of the tooth was chipped and recommended getting a dental crown. That seemed too invasive to me so I asked for a porcelain veneer instead. She said she’d have to do two of them in order to get them to match. I agreed. Before it was bonded on I got to peek at them. They looked fine. They were whiter than my other teeth but we did that on purpose because I was going to whiten after getting the porcelain veneers. I did not see them after they were bonded on but they told me it looked fantastic. I left happy. When I got home, I noticed that one of the “teeth” is longer than the other. Not only that, the longer tooth has a bit of a ledge at the top so it appears they bonded it on too low. I called them, but they said that the tooth must have shifted and there is nothing they can do. How would my tooth shift away from a bonded veneer? Can this be fixed? If so, how do I go about getting it fixed?

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

We hear these types of cosmetic dentistry horror stories way too often and it generally distresses me for two reasons. First, it is a burden on the patients. Second, because it was completely preventable. There is so much wrong here with what your dentist did.

We’ll start with her saying that dental bonding was out of the question. Really? Why? Obviously, you had dental bonding done there to begin with so it was not impossible. My guess is your dentist said that because she did not know how to do the dental bonding, so instead she steered you toward the procedure she did know, which is a porcelain crown.

You felt that was removing too much healthy tooth structure (rightly, I might add) and asked to have porcelain veneers instead. Based on what happened next, I would say she wasn’t very comfortable with that procedure either but was too embarrassed to say so. Or, maybe she thinks she’s good at them.

Getting Beautiful Porcelain Veneers

I suspect they knew something was wrong when they bonded your veneers because they didn’t let you look at them. That doesn’t give me much confidence in their professional integrity. So, where do you go from here?

The good news is they messed up big time. That will help you get a refund. If the only thing wrong with your porcelain veneers was they looked bad, it would be up to the dentist whether or not you received a refund.

In your case, they bonded them improperly leaving what you described as a ledge. In dental circles, we call this open margins. This is a functional issue because food and other bacteria will get trapped there putting your teeth at risk of decay and your gums at risk of developing gum disease. She owes you a refund so you can get this fixed.

Once you have secured your refund, I am going to suggest you find a dentist who has been accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. You will have a beautiful smile when they do the work.

Oh, one other thing. The teeth whitening should have been done before you had the porcelain veneers placed. That allows the dentist to get an exact match. That was another error on your dentist’s part.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Mouthwash with Porcelain Veneers

Posted on April 5, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have porcelain veneers that I really love and I want to take good care of them. I am doing a DIY mouthwash to be safe and want to make sure there are not any ingredients that can hurt my veneers. Here is my recipe:

4 oz. boiled wather

4 oz. hydrogen peroxide

1 T. sea salt

Will this be safe?

Ken

Dear Ken,

I love to hear when patients are happy with their smile makeovers and how well they are caring for their teeth as a result. The ingredients you mentioned will not harm your veneers. However, I would be cautious with using it every day.

Peroxide is great about getting rid of bacteria. The only problem is it is non-discriminating as to which types of bacteria it kills. This means it will take away some of the good bacteria your mouth needs. That can lead to a candida infection for you.

Periodic use, about once a week, and you should be fine. Much more than that and you will risk that yeast growing in your mouth.

Over the Counter Products that Can Damage Porcelain Veneers

There are two main types of products to beware of that can do damage to your lovely porcelain veneers. The first is whitening toothpaste. These kinds of toothpaste typically contain an abrasive to scrub the stains off your teeth. The only problem is they will damage your teeth in the process by putting micro scratches on the surfaces of both your natural tooth structure and your porcelain veneers, this will cause them to pick up stains because they will lose some of their protective glaze.

If you really feel you need a whitening toothpaste, I recommend you get Supersmile Toothpaste. This is specifically designed for cosmetic work and will keep your veneers, as well as your natural teeth, shiny and damage free.

The second is over-the-counter mouthwash. Most of these contain alcohol. This is the one ingredient you want to avoid as it will eat away at the bonding that keeps the veneers on your teeth. I believe Colgate has an alcohol free mouthwash, but I would double-check to make sure the ingredients haven’t changed.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.