I was wondering if it is possible to whiten teeth that have been bonded? I have dental bonding work on my front teeth which is pretty old. It was probably done close to 14 years ago now and I guess I should probably have it replaced but I can’t afford that right now. From what I have heard, the bonding doesn’t change color with teeth whitening. Is that correct, if I use bleaching will the bond be returned to its original color?

– Ted from New Jersey

Ted,

Teeth bleaching will not make your dental bonding any whiter and unfortunately it may make it look worse. What happens is the teeth whitening procedure will actually whitens your non-bonded, natural teeth. But, the bond will remain unaffected. This means that your teeth will appear to be two different colors.

Polishing may improve the look of your dental bonding. That is as long as the discoloring has occurred from surface stains and not from the bonding materiel itself. You can meet with a cosmetic dentist to see if polishing will work for your case.

Other than that, you may need to have the bonding replaced to get your desired look.

It is important to visit a true cosmetic dentist. Don’t compromise on quality or fall for a deal that sounds too good to be true. If it is not in the budget right now, start saving and have it done the right way.

Hopefully this information was helpful to you.

This post was provided by Gilbert dentist 16th Street Dental Care.