Archives for May 2021

Crooked Discolored Teeth

Posted on by .

I am 37 years old and recently divorced. I have discolored and crooked teeth. This is a point in my life where I really do not need to feel ugly. At this point in my life, braces are the last thing I’ll want. Are there other ways of improving my smile given my issues?

Joan

Dear Joan,

Invisalign Aligners

I am sorry to hear about your recent divorce. That is a difficult and trying time. You certainly deserve to feel attractive at any point in your life, but especially at a time when everything else feels up in arms. Fortunately, there is a way to improve both aspects of your smile at the same time, and you won’t have to wear a mouth full of metal.

You have a couple of options. I’ll start with the least expensive. Your crooked teeth could be repaired with Invisalign. These are sometimes called invisible braces. Instead of the traditional metal wires and brackets, it uses clear aligners to straighten your teeth. Not only does this allow you to straighten your teeth without anyone knowing, but it does so in a fraction of the time that the metal braces would.

They also have the additional benefit of allowing you to whiten your teeth at the same time you are straightening them. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This saves you additional money.

If the only thing you are concerned about is the discoloration and crookedness, this is the way I’d go. If, however, you have other things about your smile you would like to repair such as their length or character, then getting a complete smile makeover with porcelain veneers would be the way to go. These are high end and what celebrities use to give themselves that Hollywood smile. With porcelain veneers you can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth all at the same time.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Pain with Teeth Whitening

Posted on by .

I’ve been doing teeth whitening for a week and a half and it was going fine until yesterday. I keep feeling this painful zap that lasts about 30 seconds then goes away. It is always in the area of where I had some composite bonding done for some damage to the tooth some years ago. Could the teeth whitening be damaging the bonding?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

Teeth whitening does not affect dental bonding. If the bonding had failed, the repair would have just fallen off. You mentioned that this bonding is a few years old. The more likely scenario is that the bonding is nearing the end of its lifespan. I would pause your teeth whitening and then have your dentist look at it. It is very likely that some of the composite is worn and that is exposing part of the tooth.

If that is the case, your dentist can simply repair the composite bonding and then you will be able to take up your whitening again after the repair. It is good that you are doing your whitening under the care of your dentist. Because of that you will have protection from unnecessary complications.

Once the exposed part of your tooth is covered again, you should not have any more pain while you are whitening.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Staining around Porcelain Veneers

Posted on by .

I had porcelain veneers placed a little over a year ago. I was told these were very stain resistant. What I am finding is that in this short time they are getting stains around them. While I do smoke, I didn’t think this should affect the porcelain veneers. Are they defective?

Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

porcelain veneers

I wish I had a picture of these. It would help me see exactly what type of staining you are talking about. You were told correctly that porcelain veneers are very stain resistant. In fact, they are more stain resistant than your natural teeth. There are a few possibilities for what is going on here.

Staining on the Surface Area

If the staining is all over the veneers, then it could be that your hygienist accidentally removed the protective glazing by either using a power prophy jet or some acidulated fluoride during your last cleaning and check up. The glaze is what gives porcelain veneers their shine as well as helps protect them from stains. If that glazing is removed, it will not take long for the veneers to begin picking up stains.

A second possibility with these type of stains is that the bonding was not done properly. If there is a gap between the porcelain veneers and the tooth, this will mean that food and other types of bacteria can get trapped between the two. This will make the veneer looked stained. Worse than that, though, is the fact that the tooth will begin to decay.

A third possibility is that you don’t really have porcelain veneers. Some dentists, who are less than ethical, will actually place composite and call it porcelain.

In all three of these scenarios, your dentist would need to replace the porcelain veneers.

Staining on the edges

If the staining is just on the edges of your teeth, than it is more likely that it is the bonding cement that is picking up the stains. When you first had your veneers placed, that bonding cement was polished to a nice shine. A year is enough time for those edges to pick up stains, especially from cigarette smoke. When that happens, it is just a matter of upkeep. Your dentist or hygienist can get in there and use ultra-fine polishing strips to get in there and get them as beautiful and shiny as they were the first day.

I would consider this a part of regular maintenance. It is not hard and does not cost much, but will help make your smile beautiful.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.