My daughter had braces. Before the braces, her teeth looked uniform in color. Now they are splotchy. Is there something we can do to repair this?
Pauline
Dear Pauline,
When teeth are splotched after braces, it is generally white spots. These are decalcification spots. It means the enamel in that area is weakened because they didn’t get thoroughly clean during her braces treatment. This happens quite a bit. It is rather difficult getting between all those metal wires and brackets. Plus, they trap things there. Hopefully, her dentist or orthodontist had the foresight to instruct her to keep a toothbrush and toothpaste with her at all times so that she can brush after each meal.
Decalcification spots are pre-cavities, so you do want to treat them. The best treatment is to have the spots gently ground off and then use dental bonding to protect the area.
One word of caution. This isn’t a procedure I would recommend your average family dentist do. You want someone who can blend the composite perfectly to her teeth so that it looks natural. This takes advanced cosmetic dentistry training. Make sure your dentist has that before moving forward.
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