Archives for December 2019

fixing this dental bonding

Posted on December 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I had dental bonding done by my dentist in the previous state I lived in. It was getting old and picking up stains so my new dentist tried to spruce it up with teeth whitening. That seemed to just make it darker. Is there some way to whiten this bonding?

Kathy

Dear Kathy,

Photo of teeth whitening trays in a blue case. — Teeth whitening trays

Unfortunately, teeth whitening will not work on your dental bonding. It isn’t just bonding. It won’t work on any dental work. The reason your dental bonding looks darker is the teeth whitening did work on your natural teeth while your bonding stayed the same color.

There is not a way to whiten old bonding. Instead, you’re going to need to have it re-done. I don’t think your current dentist will be the one to do it. He or she didn’t understand how teeth whitening works, which is the bare basics of cosmetic dentistry. Dental bonding takes an expert level of cosmetic skill to get right.

In your place, I’d look for a dentist recommended on the mynewsmile.com website. They pre-screen dentists who wish to be listed for both their technical training and their artistic skill.

One thing you might want to consider is upgrading to porcelain veneers. Your bonding will have to be re-done every few years, When porcelain veneers are well cared for, they can last for two decades. Again, you would need to have this done by a cosmetic dentist.

You can stay with your current dentist for all your general work. However, when you go in for cleanings, make sure they know not to use anything like a prophy jet or acidulated fluoride. Both of those will take the glazing right off your cosmetic work. This will ruin them and cause them to pick up stains.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

full mouth reconstruction disaster

Posted on December 30, 2019 by writeradmin.

My dentist has been fixing my teeth because of my teeth grinding. He said I’ve been grinding them for years. Now they need to be repaired. He’s using crowns and bridges. When he did the temporaries they fit sort of okay. Some of the teeth weren’t fitting together okay but he said he would straighten that out with the permanent ones. The permanent ones are in, but it doesn’t feel right. Some of them aren’t touching each other and some are touching in some spots and not others. Is that normal? I know teeth vary. The problem is it hurts when I’m chewing and I’ve been getting pretty bad migraines. What do you recommend?

Joseph

Dear Joseph,

man grabbing the side of his jaw in pain

If I am understanding you correctly, the first thing I suggest you do is find another dentist. You said he told you that you’ve been grinding your teeth for years. In all that time, did he mention it to you or did he wait until they were down to nubs?

If he knew it and didn’t mention it, that is gross negligence. He could have saved your teeth from this procedure by providing a simple nightguard for you. This is a device you wear, similar to a sports mouthguard, which is custom-fitted to your bite and protects your teeth from the grinding, which mostly happens while you are asleep.

Because he didn’t do that, you are spending thousands of dollars on a full-mouth reconstruction, instead of what could have been a couple of hundred bucks.

Plus, you told me the temporaries weren’t occluding well either. He said he’d fix that with the permanents, but that isn’t how it works. The permanent crowns and bridges are patterned after the temporary ones. He had to fix those first.

You Need a TMJ Dentist

A full-mouth reconstruction is extremely advanced. It is something well beyond the skills of someone who simply graduated from dental school. It takes advanced TMJ training.

Some of the better schools are:

The Dawson Academy
The Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies
Texas Center for Occlusal Studies
The Pankey Institute

In your place, I would get a refund and then find a dentist who has studied at one of these institutions. You can find them by doing a search for a TMJ Dentist online, then look at their bios to see where they did their post-doctoral training.

Bonus points if they are also a mynewsmile.com recommended cosmetic dentist, then you’ll know they can also create a beautiful smile.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Brown Spots on TEeth

Posted on December 27, 2019 by writeradmin.

Most of my teeth are okay, but there are brown spots on my two front teeth which have bothered me since they came in . I was told this was because of a fever I had as a child. My dentist tried all the over the counter whitening products and even professional whitening. She’s thinking about either sending me to another dentist who has a Zoom light or grinding down until the brown spots are gone. Do you think one of these is a better option than another?

Cora

Dear Cora,

I want you to stop letting this dentist work on your front teeth. While it is obvious she is trying to help, she doesn’t have the knowledge for this type of treatment.

Neither at-home whitening or in-office Zoom Whitening will solve your problem. Teeth whitening whitens the teeth evenly. This means your brown spots will just become more obvious.

I certainly don’t think she should experiment by grinding down the brown spots. Does she know how far she’ll have to grind? How will she build the material back up?

Solutions to Brown Spots on Teeth

You have two good solutions to this issue. The first is dental bonding. This uses composite resin which the dentist will hand sculpt onto your teeth to hide the brown spots. This is the least expensive of the two options. However, it doesn’t last as long and will need to be replaced periodically.

Your second option is to have porcelain veneers done. You can do them just on the two front teeth or you can get a complete smile makeover. It’s up to you.

One word of caution. Your current dentist is not qualified to do either of these procedures. I’m going to recommend you pick one of the dentists from your area listed on the mynewsmile.com website. They have the cosmetic training and skill necessary to give you a beautiful result.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

type 1 diabetes & dental implants

Posted on December 14, 2019 by writeradmin.

If I have type 1 diabetes, is it still possible for me to get dental implants or am I not a candidate?

Ben

Dear Ben,

With diabetes, you can still get dental implants as long as your diabetes is under control. While it is not a contraindicator, it is a risk factor. A significant one, in fact.

One thing I highly suggest is you research your implant dentist very carefully. You need someone who has had significant post-doctoral training in dental implants. For instance, Dr. Delaune received the following training in dental implants.

Implantology training from the Zimmer Institute and Russo Seminars
Advanced dental implant training at the Medical University of South Carolina

You’ll want them to do all the diagnostic work possible and keep a close eye on everything throughout the process. Diabetics often have trouble healing so make sure they do extra checks on you during the healing process.

While some dentists will do the implant surgery themselves, others refer you out to an oral surgeon. Don’t make the mistake of seeing an oral surgeon before the dentist. You’ll want the dentist to have close communication with and surgeon to make sure they only place the implants where the dentist wants them.

If you’re going to have a mixture of your own teeth and dental implants, you’ll be more happy with your smile if you whiten your teeth beforehand.

Your dentist will place porcelain crowns on top of the implants. When he or she does that, the crowns can be matched to your natural teeth. However, once that color is made, it is permanent. You’ll want to make sure your teeth are the color you’ll want your implant crowns for a long time.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.