Reviews: I had some discoloration on my teeth after getting braces. I really regret not getting Invisalign now, but hindsight is 20/20. I had discoloration on several teeth after my procedure was done. I asked her what we could do about it. At first, we tried teeth whitening, but that only made it worse. So, she told me she needed to do some research. She called me back and said the consensus is dental bonding is the right solution. I felt confident going in because this time she researched the solution. Honestly, though, my two front teeth now look like she just glued pieces of chicklet gum to them. They are way too thick and the color looks flat and chalky. I could tell even she wasn’t thrilled with them but she was trying to not make me feel self-conscious about them. Is there anything I can do to fix these at this point or is it too late?
Sheena
Dear Sheena,
It sounds like your dentist cares about her patients but is just in over her head when it comes to the cosmetic end of things. That isn’t terribly surprising. Dentists are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to cosmetic work. It’s not really taught in dental school, nor is it a recognized specialty. If a dentist wants to learn about cosmetic dentistry they have to invest in post-doctoral training to learn more about it. Especially for dentists just starting out, that’s a tough one.
I can tell your dentist had not invested in that training right off that bat with her suggestion about teeth whitening. Two basic tenets about teeth whitening that every dentist should know are: 1. It whitens your teeth evenly. As a result, when there is discoloration whitening your teeth actually makes that more obvious, not less. 2. It will only whiten natural tooth structure. If someone had discolored dental work bleaching them won’t work.
When that failed, she did what she should have to begin with, and did some research. She was right about the solution. Dental bonding is the correct way to fix this problem. What she didn’t realize is that it is an advanced cosmetic procedure that takes a while to learn, especially because it has to be done freehand.
Another common repair that uses dental bonding is for broken and chipped teeth. if you look at the image above, you can see a repair done by Dr. Delaune. Notice that it blends in seamlessly in both color and texture. This is what you should expect with a dental bonding case.
Getting Bad Dental Bonding Fixed
The only real fix for this is to have it done over. Based on what you’ve said, I honestly don’t think your dentist has the skills yet to give you a beautiful natural-looking result. Your first step is to get your money back, so you can get this done properly. She likely knows it didn’t turn out beautifully and should be willing to give you a refund.
You’ll want an expert cosmetic dentist to do this repair. It is hard for patients to know who has the training and who doesn’t because there isn’t an “official” specialty. One retired cosmetic dentist realized this and started a website to help patients like you. I would go to the mynewsmile.com website. They screen dentists, who want to be listed, for both their technical knowledge and skill, as well as their artistry. Only the best cosmetic dentists are included. They cannot simply pay to have a listing there. Any one of them can give you the repair you were hoping for to begin with.
This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.
