I had two front teeth that overlapped a little. To fix it, my dentist ground down both teeth and then put dental bonding on them. Here are my issues. The parts that he ground down are really sharp and cause me some pain. A second issue is that no matter how much I told him I wanted them white, he made them yellowish and they just don’t blend in with my teeth. Now he’s saying I can get them whitened, but I know that is not true. He’s been very defensive and I just don’t know what to do. If you have any guidance for me, I would be grateful.
Bonnie
Dear Bonnie,
It sounds like your dentist is a general dentist who does some cosmetic dentistry. This case is far above his abilities. In fact, I would say only about 2% of cosmetic dentists are qualified enough to fix this with any result you would be pleased. It would require a significant amount of post-doctoral training as well as stocking composite materials that your typical general dentist would not have in their toolkit.
Bottom line, I do not think you are going to get the results you deserve from this dentist. I am sure he is well-intentioned. Unfortunately, he’s just not qualified. If you want to get this fixed right, you are going to have to see a cosmetic dentist who has invested in the cosmetic dentistry training needed to do this well.
Let them look at the situation and suggest the right solution to you. It may be that repairing the dental bonding is what is needed. Or, he or she may suggest porcelain veneers. Either way, you will get a stunning result.
I advise that you look for a dentist who has been accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). This is different from membership. An AACD accredited dentist has passed exams on their technical knowledge as well as demonstrated their artistry with a large number of cases before an examination board. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the world. Any one of them can produce the result you are looking for.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.