tooth bonding Archives - Dr. Duane Delaune's Blog

Dental Bonding Doesn’t Match and Falls Off

Posted on June 1, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have tetracycline stains and my dentist said dental bonding would take care of it. It has not worked out at all like I wanted. First, the color doesn’t match and it is pretty obvious. Plus, you can still see some of the tetracycline stains through it. As if that weren’t bad enough, the bonding fell off after just three days. I went back for him to repair it. At the time, I told him about the color problem so he made them thicker, which looks weird in its own way. Now they have fallen off again just a few days later. I called him back and he said they’re not meant to be permanent so I should not have high expectations. However, I was told they’d last up to five years, this is like just a few days. What should I do?

Calorie

Dear Calorie,

As you can see from the image above dental bonding can blend in quite naturally with your teeth. I think the biggest problem you are facing is the skill and technical knowledge of your dentist. Both dental bonding and tetracycline stains are some of the most advanced procedures in cosmetic dentistry. You should be aware that cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. Any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of the amount of training they have invested (or not invested) in.

I think your dentist is in way over his head. Dental bonding should not fall off, especially after just a few days. As for the color, if he is an inexperienced cosmetic dentist, he probably doesn’t even have the colors and other materials necessary to make things blend well. An additional problem in dealing with tetracycline stains is making the teeth opaque enough to cover the stains, while translucent enough to look natural. That is not an easy accomplishment, even for a skilled cosmetic dentist.

Honestly, the better treatment for you would be porcelain veneers and not bonding. It is more permanent, decades rather than years. Plus, it is more stain-resistant. I don’t think your dentist is the one to do it. Here is my advice. Do not let him “fix” this. instead, ask for a refund. Then, we’re going to get you to a highly skilled cosmetic dentist.

Finding an Expert Cosmetic Dentist

Because there is not a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry it is hard for patients to know who has the skills and who doesn’t. There is a website that strives to help patients in your position. A retired cosmetic dentist runs the mynewsmile.com website. He prescreens all dentists that want to be listed on his site. They cannot purchase their way on. Instead, they have to show their training credentials, in addition to proving their artistry and skill on cases they’ve completed. Any dentist he lists can provide you with a stunning smile.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.

Dental Bonding Doesn’t Match

Posted on September 18, 2020 by writeradmin.

I chipped a tooth after a fall. My dentist wanted to put a crown on the tooth, but I did some research and saw the best solution was dental bonding so I asked him to do that. He agreed, but the results aren’t that great. The colors don’t match so you can really tell it is a repair. Is it okay to have this dentist do it again? Should I have to pay for it to match?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

When dental bonding is done correctly, it can match perfectly with the rest of the natural tooth. However, it isn’t easy to do. Not only is it done freehand, but many dentists don’t carry enough of a selection of shades and textures to do this right. When a dentist suggests something like a dental crown for a chipped or gapped tooth, which is a massive overtreatment, it is an indication they are uncomfortable with cosmetic dentistry.

You have two options: The first is to give your dentist another chance to get this right. Explain to him that the repair is obvious and doesn’t match the rest of your tooth. If he cares about the quality of his work, he should be willing to do it again. And, no, you shouldn’t have to pay for it.

I would give your dentist another opportunity to get this right. You shouldn’t have to pay for the color to match. That is part of what you paid for in the beginning. Don’t be surprised if he still struggles, but it is fair to give him another chance. If after the second go he still can’t get it to match, then I would suggest your next step is to ask for a refund, then find an experienced cosmetic dentist.

Who Should Do Your Cosmetic Bonding?

In your place, if it doesn’t work out with your original dentist, then I am going to suggest you look at the mynewsmile.com website. The man who runs this site has retired from cosmetic dentistry but wanted to offer patients a service to help them know who has the skills to do beautiful cosmetic work. Most patients don’t realize that there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. That means any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of the level of skill they have.

To make matters worse, most of the skills they need for well done cosmetic work isn’t even taught in dental school. For a dentist to develop the necessary skills they will have to invest in post-doctoral training. It’s nearly impossible for patients to know which dentists have done that. The mynewsmile site, pre-screens dentists for their technical training as well as the artistry of their work. Only those who pass his rigorous standards can be listed. Any dentist on that site can give you a beautiful, natural-looking result.

Should You Whiten First

I don’t know if your dentist mentioned this, but the color that is created for your dental bonding is permanent. If you were to whiten your teeth at a later date, your natural tooth structure would whiten, but not the bonding. Therefore, most cosmetic dentists will warn their patients if they are even considering getting their teeth whitened, it will save them money to do it before they have the bonding done. This will save them money by not having to replace the bonding after they whiten.

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

Dental Bonding Disaster

Posted on August 2, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had several teeth get have dental bonding done because of abfraction lesions. Before this (aside from the lesions) my smile was beautiful. Now, it looks darker, dull, and feels rough. Is it possible for this to be removed and re-done to where the teeth look natural or will it damage the underlying tooth to replace it? Also, one of them popped off. I’m guessing that is not normal.

Meagan

Dear Meagan,

$An image of an abfraction lesion.$ It is a real shame you are dealing with this. And you are right that having your dental bonding pop off isn’t normal. Let’s start with abfraction lesions for the benefit o those who may not know what they are. As you can see from the picture to the left, the gum tissue has pulled away from the tooth.

We used to think this was from brushing too hard, but now we believe it has much more to do teeth grinding or clenching, which will cause the tooth to flex a little. This weakens your tooth which will lead to the tissue being worn away at the gumline. Your dentist can fill these areas with dental composite material and it shouldn’t be that hard. Obviously, for your dentist it was.

This dental bonding can be re-done, possibly even resurfaced without having to re-do the whole thing. Your dentist should either be willing to re-do them or to give you a refund so you can get them done elsewhere by someone more qualified. If he re-does them, it is important that he uses a more flexible dental bonding material, such as Silux Plus and Renamel. Using this type of material that can flex a bit will ensure they stay put and not pop out on you anymore.

As for getting it to match, that shouldn’t be that hard, yet he is still struggling with it. It can be made to mate to match perfectly. Don’t let your dentist tell you otherwise.

Directly above is a case Dr. Delaune did on some gapped teeth which should give you some idea of how well direct dental bonding can blend into the natural tooth structure and still look beautiful.

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

Dental Bonding Turning Yellow

Posted on June 11, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve had dental bonding for just a few days. I really liked how they looked, but they’ve started turning yellow. I can’t think of anything I’ve done to them except maybe the fact that I brush with baking soda. Is that a problem with bonding? Is it possible for me to whiten them?

Karyn

Dear Karyn,

As you can see from the picture above, as well as the results you had, dental bonding can look both beautiful and natural, when well done by a skilled cosmetic dentist. Unfortunately, your dentist neglected to instruct you on how to properly care for them. The likely damage culprit, in your case, is the baking soda. It is an abrasive. This will damage the polish on your dental bonding enabling them to pick up stains.

I think your dentist should be willing to re-do the polish on them without charge for a couple of reasons:

First, he should have told you how to care for your new dental work. His neglect to do so led to this problem.
Second, it hasn’t been that long since you had the bonding done. It shouldn’t be a problem for him to work with this.

Taking Care of your Dental Bonding

The first thing I want to recommend is you get some Supersmile Toothpaste. This is specifically designed to work with cosmetic dental work and will protect it while safely removing stains.

Unfortunately, teeth whitening won’t work. It will whiten your natural tooth structure but not your bonding. This is why I recommended instead you have your dentist re-polish them.

I would also like you to look at this link. It is a fairly extensive article on dental bonding. If you scroll down, there is a section just devoted to how to properly care for your new bonding.

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

My Dental Bonding Looks Awful

Posted on May 9, 2020 by writeradmin.

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.

when porcelain veneers are an overtreatment

Posted on September 14, 2019 by writeradmin.

I talked to my dentist about getting my teeth whiter. I was thinking of teeth whitening, but he suggested I get porcelain veneers. He said then he could whiten my teeth and close a small gap I have at the same time. While I like the idea of not having my tooth gap any longer, the price he quoted me is pretty high. Could I whiten my teeth and then get the porcelain veneers later when I have the money?

Macey

Dear Macey,

I am not comfortable with your dentist’s recommendation. To me, if you just want your teeth whitened, porcelain veneers are a massive (and expensive) overtreatment.

Porcelain veneers are a procedure for patients looking for a total smile makeover. It is the go-to procedures for celebrities looking for that perfect smile. They can simultaneously change the shape, size, and color of your teeth.

Yes, they can close your tooth gap, and you could get your teeth whitening done and then later get porcelain veneers, but you could close your tooth gap at a much lower cost with dental bonding. In fact, that’s what I’m going to suggest you do.

I want you to get your teeth whitened. Then, after a couple of weeks when the color has had time to settle, see a cosmetic dentist to close the gap in your front teeth.

Because this procedure is done free-hand, it really needs to be done by a skilled cosmetic dentist.

I’m going to suggest you look on mynewsmile.com to see their list of recommended cosmetic dentists in your area. They prescreen each dentist who wishes to be listed for both technical skill as well as artistry. Any one of their listed dentists will provide you will stunning results.

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

dental bonding disaster

Posted on September 10, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have two front teeth that overlap one another and the adjacent teeth are set further back than they should be. My dentist suggested dental bonding, which he said he’s done to close gapped teeth. He ground down the overlapping teeth and filled in the teeth which were set back. He made them yellow to match my other teeth but I was hoping to get them a little whiter as I planned to whiten my other teeth. The teeth he ground down feel sharp and uncomfortable and I’m just not happy with these results. What do you recommend?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

a dental bonding case done by Dr. Delaune with before and after pictures

The above picture is a dental bonding case done by Dr. Delaune, you can see more cases on his smile gallery. This is to show you that dental bonding can create beautiful results.

What it boils down to is your dentist was in over his head. While he may have closed a few gaps, the type of dental bonding your case required was much more advanced. My guess is only about 2% of cosmetic dentists can do it correctly.

I don’t know if your dentist will be willing to give you a refund so you can get this done correctly elsewhere, but you can ask.

Regarding the color of your teeth. Your dentist should have warned you if you were going to whiten them, you’d need to do it before having the bonding done. Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure.

Once your teeth are whitened, then a skilled cosmetic dentist will match the bonding to your new color.

Finding a Skilled Cosmetic Dentist

Smile makeovers and advanced dental bonding cases, such as yours, aren’t taught in dental school. Because of that, you want a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training in cosmetic dental work.

In addition to technical knowledge, you want a dentist who has an artistic eye. This is especially true with dental bonding because it has to be done free-hand.

One useful resource is the mynewsmile.com website. They have a search link for patients looking for advanced cosmetic dentists. No one can just pay to be listed. Each dentist is screened for both technical training and artistry, Any dentist they list will do a beautiful job for you.

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

What can I do about the spots that braces are making on my teeth?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by AllSmiles.

Hi. I have one more year left before I get my braces off, but I’m noticing that there are spots on my teeth from the braces. I don’t know why this is happening. But now I’m guessing that once the braces are off I’m going to need more work on my teeth to get these ugly spots off. Is this true? – Ethan K. from Avondale

Ethan – Yes, you will need additional work on your teeth to remove the spots—but not until the braces are removed. You should know that the spots are a result of food accumulating around the brackets of the braces. Bacteria from the food attack your teeth. After the brackets are taken off, you’ll see white or chalky spots. Because the spots are the result of bacteria from food, there is something that you can do now. Start brushing your teeth thoroughly—after every time that you eat. If the spots haven’t progressed too far, the saliva produced while brushing can repair some of the spots.

After your braces are removed, it can be determined if there is decay under the spots on your teeth. If the spots are not large, tooth bonding is the best way to treat them. Damaged tooth enamel will be brushed away, along with any decay beneath it. The affected area will be covered with dental bonding. For the best results, find a cosmetic dentist who loves creating beautiful smiles. He or she will have the proper materials and expertise to ensure that the bonding on your teeth looks natural.

If there is a lot of damage to the tooth enamel, it may be best to cover the tooth with porcelain veneers.

Beware that although some dentists might attempt to bleach the spots away, bleaching does not work in this case. Bleaching uniformly whitens teeth and will not remove the spots. It may make the spots more noticeable.

Remember to carry a toothbrush with you so that you can brush your teeth after every time that you eat. This will loosen the food particles from the brackets and prevent further damage to your teeth—keeping your teeth and your breath clean.

This blog is sponsored by New Orleans cosmetic dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.