I had composite bonding done on my front teeth to improve my smile, but now it actually looks worse. Is it possible to remove the bonding without damaging the underlying teeth?

Katie

Dear Katie,

There is a way to safely remove composite bonding from teeth. However, this only works if the composite is bonded to the teeth and not the soft dentin beneath the tooth enamel. Dentists often get requests for vampire teeth around Halloween. We use composite dental bonding because it is reversible.

Here are three ways to safely do it:

• Sandpaper Disks: These are flexible and bend to the shape of the tooth, making them easier to use. They’re generally used to polish up the composite but can be time-consuming when talking about removing the enamel.
• Carbide Drills: These are high speed and therefore faster than the sandpaper disks. It’s important light pressure is used so that too much material isn’t removed. However, they tend to leave streaks of material behind so your dentist will want to follow up with the sandpaper disks to remove all the remaining material and leave a nice polish.
• Micro-etcher: This is also a slow method and best used as a finishing step.

Getting a Beautiful Smile

While a true cosmetic dentist can give you a beautiful smile with dental bonding, it is best used with something like a chipped tooth (as seen above) or for closing a tooth gap. This is because it is done freehand and more time consuming, so it is better on smaller areas. It also doesn’t last very long and will have to be redone every few years.

If you are looking for a gorgeous smile makeover, you would want to get porcelain veneers. These are the go-to for the top of the line smile makeovers and what gives celebrities that Hollywood smile. When well done and well cared for, they can last a lifetime.

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