Tag Archives: tooth bonding

Help! My Crown Keeps Coming Out!

Hi there,

Last year, I had a same-day CEREC crown done on one of my teeth. I was happy with it at first, but since then, it has fallen out several times. Each time I go back to the dentist to get it fixed, but it always falls out again. Finally, I went to a different cosmetic dentist. He replaced the setting for the crown, and said that I should get a new all-porcelain crown, as it would stick to the cement better. I just want my tooth to stay put, like it’s supposed to. I’m not sure what else I can do.

Nephenee, from South Carolina

 

Hi Nephenee,

No matter what material your CEREC crown was made from, it will stay permanently once properly placed and bonded. Making a new crown will not fix the problem, as it is not the crown’s fault it keeps coming out.

Crowns need strong cement and to be properly shaped to stay in place. If your dentist over-prepared your crown and shaped it too much, no cement will be able to hold it in.

It’s likely your crown was prepared with inadequate retention form in mind. You will need a crown specialist to properly shape your tooth and cement it in place. Look for a dentist with experience in dental crowns, or another CEREC dentist in the area.

This blog post is brought to you by Gilbert CEREC crown provider, Dr. Matthew Roper, of Vista Dorada Dental.

 

Will Snap-On Smile work for my daughter?

My daughter is ten years old and she chipped her front teeth. I was thinking I would wait until she is older before I get these teeth fixed. But I was wondering if Snap-On Smile would work until we moved forward with a permanent fix?

Thanks,

– Gina from Ohio

Gina,

Ten years old is a tricky age because your daughter likely has a mix of permanent teeth and she probably still has some baby teeth. The baby teeth she still has may be a little loose too and her permanent teeth are in the process of erupting. The main issue with choosing the Snap-On Smile for your daughter is the fact that the appliance needs to snap onto her existing teeth. And since her teeth are in such a transitional stage, it isn’t going to work very well.

Dental bonding is safe for children and would be a solution to take care of the chipped teeth. You just need to make sure that she is old enough and willing to sit in a dental chair during the procedure.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related posts: pediatric dentist

Will Snap-On Smile work for my son?

Hello,

My son is eight years old and he has chipped his tooth pretty badly. It’s almost broken in half. The dentist filled it, but it broke within a week. It doesn’t seem to hurt him since the roots are unharmed. We’ve been told that he isn’t old enough to have his tooth capped. Will the Snap-On Smile work for him?

– Maya from Indiana

Maya,
Snap-On Smile works well to temporarily give the appearance of a straight, white smile. In the particular case of your son, I’m not sure this is the way to go.

If his tooth is broken, then placing this Snap-On Smile appliance over his tooth is doing nothing to address the real problem. Direct dental bonding with porcelain or composite materials can fix this problem for your son. And it needs to be done correctly so that it does not interfere with his biting or chewing. Although, you will need to seek the talents of a true cosmetic dentist. Not just any family dentist will be able to do this kind of work well.

There are some other issues to choosing Snap-On Smile for your son. Not only will it feel bulky, a boy his age may lose it. Also, he has a combination of permanent and baby teeth. This means that fitting the appliance correctly will be difficult since his bite is changing so rapidly. The appliance itself may also get in the way of new teeth that are erupting.

The reason the repair you mentioned failed is likely due to the fact that it got in the way of his bite. When he is a bit older, he will have all his permanent teeth and this will be less of an issue. It is difficult to make anymore recommendations without actually seeing this particular case. Therefore, I highly recommend consulting with an expert cosmetic dentist to present your options to you.

The tooth will look and function normally if it is done correctly.

Best of luck to you.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: emergency dentist

I want to fix my teeth spacing

There is some spacing between my teeth that I have never liked it. The truth is that I cannot afford cosmetic dentistry. It is just too expensive for me. Do you know of anything that can be done that is a quick fix to make my teeth look straight?

– Billy from Iowa

Billy,

There is an appliance called the Snap-On Smile that may work for your situation. This is an inexpensive way to temporarily fix your tooth spacing.

All that is required is for the dentist to take a simple impression of your teeth and select the shade and smile design you want. Then it’s sent off to the lab for them to create it.

It simply snaps into place over your existing teeth giving the illusion of straight, white teeth. You can expect it to last for approximately three to five years if you take care of it and the cost is in the $1000-$1500 range. This is significantly less expensive than porcelain veneers which run about that same amount for the cost of one veneer.

You may also be interested in dental bonding, which is another less expensive way to fix your tooth spacing. This all depends on how many and how large your spaces are. With this treatment, a tooth-colored composite is applied to the ends of your teeth and then it is shaped to mimic the natural look of your tooth to fill in the gaps. It is important that you visit an expert cosmetic dentist for this type of work. Lastly, tooth bonding will last much longer than a Snap-On Smile.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

How do I get rid of white spots?

I have always had white spots on my teeth ever since I was a kid. When I was a teenager, I also had braces to fix the alignment of my teeth. I think the braces actually made the white spots worse on my front teeth. My family dentist that I have been going to for quite some time said there is nothing wrong with my teeth and that they are perfectly healthy for my age. The problem is that the white spots make me want to hide my smile.

I have been looking into teeth whitening and porcelain veneers as a possibility to correct this problem. What I’m wondering is, would over the counter white strips, professional whitening, or Zoom whitening make the spots stand out more? This is my thought since they may end up whiter than the teeth that do not have marks? Or would you recommend porcelain veneers or Lumineers for this issue?

– Karen in Michigan

Karen,

Dentists are trained to fix things, bottom line. So, this mentality of “don’t fix what isn’t broken” is not surprising. It sounds like your dentist is offering an honest opinion and truly believes that your teeth are fine. To treat the white spots, you need to seek out the expertise of a true cosmetic dentist.

Teeth whitening will likely not do the trick, even though many dentists may go this route. You are correct that when you have spots on your teeth, the whitening may actually make them to end up looking worse.

Depending on how big the spots are, tooth bonding may be the way to go. Or porcelain veneers would remedy your problem giving you the beautiful smile that you are after.

You need to have a consultation with an experienced cosmetic dentist. They may recommend a combination of treatments. For example, it may make sense to whiten first and then have the spots fixed. There are many simple, long-lasting solutions that when performed by an expert cosmetic dentist will transform the way your teeth look.

Stick to your regular dentist for your routine dental care, but seek the talents of a cosmetic dentist for your white spots.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Flouride stains on teeth

My little boy has spots on his teeth. They are brown in color and are from fluoride. He has had his teeth bleached by a local dentist to try and get rid of them. But it did not work. The brown stains are still there. Now the dentist is recommending porcelain veneers. Can you tell me how much more expensive veneers are than dental bonding?

– Laura from Florida

Laura,

Unfortunately, I think it’s time to find a new dentist. Brown fluoride stains will not be remedied by teeth whitening or bleaching, which you are now aware of.

Dental bonding is a possibility. But it all depends on how bad the staining is. It is imperative that you research an expert cosmetic dentist. Tooth bonding takes artistic talent and not every dentist can do it well.

Porcelain veneers tend to be a more expensive treatment but will give the best results. Pricing varies from dentist to dentist, so you will have to discuss cost comparison with the dentist you choose. Again, I would urge you to have a consultation with a cosmetic dentist that has trained with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. An AACD dentist should be able to provide you with the best recommendation and cost based on your specific circumstance.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Can my dental bonding work be whitened?

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.

What do you recommend for a chipped tooth?

I have a chipped front tooth and I am trying to figure out what is better, dental bonding or a porcelain crown? I have done a lot of research about tooth bonding and my general dentist has told me that the bond won’t hold over time. She has recommended a porcelain crown to fix my chip. Can my chipped front tooth actually be corrected with dental bonding if I’m diligent in caring for it?

Thanks, Viv from Massachusetts

Dear Viv,

It turns out that many dentists are uncomfortable with direct bonding techniques. They will try to discourage you from this treatment. Although, it does hold up well and in most cases would be a good choice. There are likely several reasons for your dentist to recommend a crown. She may not have much experience with bonding. It requires artistic talent to do a good job. She may not carry all of the shades, textures, and varieties of bonding materials. Many general dentists only have a limited inventory of all-purpose bonding composites and do not have specialized bonding materials in stock. A cosmetic dentist will have the highly customized materials available that can make your tooth beautiful and will be long-lasting. Another reason she may recommend the crown is due to the higher cost of the bonding. Still another reason is that you may have an unusual bite that could potentially break off the bond, in which case the porcelain crown truly is best. It’s always good to get a second opinion. I would research an expert cosmetic dentist in your area. Good luck!

More information to fix a chip, read about porcelain veneers or CEREC crowns.

Pain with teeth whitening

Hi there. I just started an in-home teeth whitening system. I have been using it for about two weeks now and haven’t had any issues. Except yesterday when I used them I had a sharp pain. It was on my front tooth and seemed very intense for about thirty seconds or so. I have a dental bond on this tooth that was orginally chipped and then reapaired over a decade ago. So I was wondering if this reaction means that my bond is going bad or nearing the end of its lifecycle? Or could the whitening treatments I’m using be weakening the dental bond? That is my guess. Thank you for your help.

-Jane from Texas

Jane,

It is unlikely that the bond was weakened by the teeth whitening system you are using. The common bleaching gel has not been known to weaken dental bonds. Also, if that was actually the case and the bond was weakened then it would mean that the repaired chip would most likely fall off. This would probably be causing much more pain.

The way you have described it, I think the bleaching agent may be irritating a sensitive part of the tooth. If the tooth was injured previously and repaired, there may be a senstive area that has become exposed due to some of the bonding agent that has wore off.

Your situation is a good example of why with any teeth bleaching treatment, it is important to consult and remain under a dentist’s professional supervision. My assumption is that you are working with a dentist. So, you should let your dentist know about your problem. Hopefully, they will be able to pin point the issue you’re having. If it turns out to be a sensitive spot then there are solutions to re-coat the area. You should be able to continue bleaching safely once this issue has been resolved. Make sure you get this checked out before continuing with your bleaching treatment.