dental bonding Archives - Arnold Dental

Jagged Teeth After Braces

Posted on March 8, 2024 by writeradmin.

I am about to get my braces off, but the teeth are jagged. Will this get fixed with the orthodontist or do I need to go somewhere else to get this fixed? I am happy about straight teeth, but am hoping this could be fixed so I’ll have a great smile.

Emily

Dear Emily,

Cosmetic Contouring

This is fixed with a procedure known as cosmetic contouring. It is a means of reshaping the teeth to look more esthetic and in line with a clean bite. Sometimes an orthodontist will fix this as a means of finishing out a case. That works if the case is simple. If there is anything more involved, I would arrange to have it done elsewhere. However, it would be hard for you to know whether or not the case is complicated or not. Your orthodontist may have trouble admitting the case is too challenging for him to do well.

Sometimes cosmetic bonding is needed to complete the case, which is an advanced cosmetic procedure. My suggestion would be for you to see an expert cosmetic dentist to get his or her opinion on how this would need to be treated.

It is sometimes hard to find an expert cosmetic dentist. This is because it is not a recognized specialty. Any general dentist can claim to be a cosmetic dentist regardless of the amount of training they have had. Developing real skill in cosmetic dentistry requires post-doctoral training and very few dentists invest in enough of it.

The best way to look for a skilled cosmetic dentist is to look for a dentist who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). These dentists have passed stringent exams as well as demonstrated real skill and artistry on a number of cases that are judged by an examination board.

My recommendation is that you get a consultation is an AACD accredited dentist and go from there. They can assure you a beautiful result.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Fixing a Broken Lower Front Tooth

Posted on January 6, 2024 by writeradmin.

About a year ago I broke a lower front tooth. It was irritating me the way it hit the soft tissue in my mouth, not to mention it made me uncomfortable. My dentist said he could repair it with a filling. Unfortunately, there have been two problems with the repair. First, it won’t stay on. It’s fallen off less than a week after he re-does the repair and he’s “repaired” it several times. This is an unrealistic way of keeping this tooth whole. The second issue is more of an aesthetic concern, but still valid. The repair does not match the rest of my tooth. The color is completely different. Is there any way to really repair this?

Sandy

Dear Sandy,

One of the problems you are facing with this composite bonding repair is the dentist. Your lower incisal edges hit the insides of the upper incisors constantly, especially when you close your mouth. This puts enormous stress on the repair. A dentist repairing this would not only need to be an expert cosmetic dentist to get this to look natural, but also understand the principles of occlusion (how your bite comes together) in order to minimize this issue. Based on your description, your dentist does not have either of these skills.

Here is an image of a patient who has a similar problem as you by another dentist. Notice one of the repairs fell off and the tooth next to it has bonding where the color is markedly different from the tooth. Also notice that the tooth with the chip is further forward from the other teeth. This caused it to hit before the other teeth putting additional stress on it.

Thankfully, this patient was able to get to an expert cosmetic dentist and have this fixed properly (image below). This dentist used porcelain veneers to repair the tooth. Notice that he also shaved back the tooth that was further forward so that it would line up with the other teeth and reduce the stresses.

What you need to do if find an expert cosmetic dentist. Look for someone who is AACD accredited. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the country.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Treating Enamel Hypoplasia

Posted on May 31, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have rather severe enamel hypoplasia. I’ve been looking for a cosmetic solution. I’ve finally gotten my dream job. I wore a temporary snap on type of smile for the interview, but want something more permanent Preferably that looks more natural than what I used in the interview. Do you have any recommendations for me?

Rose,

Dear Rose,

Examples of mild and severe enamel hypoplasia

Examples of mild and severe hypoplasia.

For those who are unaware of what enamel hypoplasia is, I will give a very brief overview. Enamel hypoplasia is a defect in which the enamel of the teeth have not fully formed. It is generally a genetic defect. However, it can also be caused by disease during the formation of the teeth.

If someone has mild hypoplasia, it can generally be repaired by dental bonding. However, you said you have severe hypoplasia. That will require something more.

My suggestion in your position is to get porcelain veneers. This can do more than cover your hypoplasia. It can completely remake your smile. This is the go-to procedure for those in Hollywood wanting a smile to light up the screen. You can have the perfect Hollywood smile or something with more character. It is completely up to you.

The key to obtaining beautiful results is the dentist, so you need to be very careful whom you choose. Unfortunately, there is not a recognized cosmetic dentistry specialty. Any general dental can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of the training (or lack thereof). Because of that, I recommend you look for a dentist who is AACD Accredited. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. Any one of them can give you a stunning smile makeover. When you go to your new job, your smile will blow them away.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Fixing a Broken Tooth on a 12 Year Old

Posted on September 11, 2021 by writeradmin.

My twelve-year-old was playing with her younger siblings on the monkey bars and ended up breaking her front tooth. I scheduled an emergency appointment and my dentist suggested a root canal treatment and dental crown. I wanted to get a second opinion on this because my daughter is distraught over how her smile looks right now and doing this wrong will make things worse for her. What do you think?

Penelope

Dear Penelope,

I am very glad you wrote. It was good you scheduled an emergency appointment for your daughter and that your dentist found she needed a root canal treatment. However, his cosmetic fixes have me concerned. this will not serve the appearance of your daughter’s smile well. We don’t usually recommend crowns for children or teens on a front tooth repair for a couple of reasons.

First, her teeth are still developing. That means as the area grows and expands the crown will get pushed down, leaving the margin very obviously exposed. This will look funny and put her at risk of decay. Second, a root canal treatment tends to make a tooth brittle. On a back tooth, a dental crown will help this. However, because of the difference in biting forces on a front tooth, a crown will actually weaken the tooth. What she needs instead is some dental bonding. Even then, you have to be quite careful who does the repair.

A Tale of Two Dentists

Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty, nor is it taught in dental school. This means any general dentist can practice and call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of the training they’ve actually received.

This discolored tooth had a root canal treatment and dental bonding done from an injury, such as the one your daughter sustained. First, this dentist did not factor in that root canal treatments can turn a tooth dark. There are ways to prevent this, but it takes cosmetic training not many dentists have received. Second, if you look at the lower left of the tooth you can see the dental bonding repair. Not only is it not blended well, but even though it is slightly lighter in color than the remainder of the root canaled tooth it is significantly darker than the adjacent natural teeth. This is likely because the dentist who did the work only stocked your standard composite materials. To do excellent cosmetic work requires specialized materials. Compare the photo above with the one directly below.

One of these front four teeth has had extensive cosmetic work done. Can you tell which one? I doubt it. I’m guessing you will want your daughter to have the results from this second image. To get that, you’ll need to take her to see a dentist who is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic dentists. AACD accredited dentists are the best cosmetic dentists in the world.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Dentist Destroyed My Smile

Posted on August 15, 2021 by writeradmin.

I had some composite bonding done on my front teeth after an accident that caused several of them cosmetic damage. The bonding is starting to stain and show its age and I wanted to get it fixed. The dentist who did my bonding passed away and his partner is the only dentist working at the practice. He told me that bonding cannot be redone and he’d need to do dental crowns on those teeth. I figured he knew what he was talking about and agreed. I have so many regrets. First, I only had bonding on three teeth but he said he’d need to do six teeth to get them all to match. I was not too crazy about that idea but didn’t really see an option. Second, the two front teeth are gray compared to the rest of the teeth.

Melanie

Dear Melanie,

You have probably figured this out by now, but your new dentist has absolutely no idea what he is doing. It is a shame because this situation could have been so much simpler for you. In fact, I’m going to add this to my collection of cosmetic dentistry horror stories.

The first thing you should know is that your dental bonding could have been replaced. Unless you had a bunch of new decay, which you never mentioned, then the bonding replacement would have been a breeze for a qualified dentist. He is obviously not a trained cosmetic dentist. Another thing that gives this away is his need to do dental crowns instead of the less invasive treatments. Even if you could not do bonding again (which we’ve already established was possible) then porcelain veneers would have been the next, less invasive procedure. After that, dental crowns would be the next option, but he should only need to have placed crowns on the affected teeth and not ground down the structure of healthy, intact teeth in order to match them.

Even with all those crutches, he still blew it. Your two front teeth don’t match the remainder of your teeth. That’s because it takes an expert cosmetic dentist to match front teeth. they are the most exposed to the light. My hope is your dentist cares enough about his work and patient satisfaction to be willing to re-do his poorly done work.

However, if he does, you need to insist that he use a temporary try in paste so you can make sure the new crowns match. It’s possible he does not even have a temporary try-in paste as it is obvious he does not do enough cosmetic dentistry. If that is the case, tell him a clear glycerin will work just fine. It must be clear or else you won’t get a true representation of the color.

If he doesn’t want to do that, you are better off going to a completely different dentist to have these two front teeth re-done. In that case, I would look for a dentist who has reached accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. That is pretty much a guarantee you will have stunning work done. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the world.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Two Teeth: One Missing & One Deformed

Posted on January 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

Both my lateral incisors have problems. One of them has been missing since birth. I’ve been wearing a dental flipper for that for years. Periodically, it needs to be replaced and I’ve never been impressed with how it looked to begin with. I’m looking for a permanent solution for the missing tooth as well as any cosmetic suggestions for the deformed tooth.

LeeAnne

Dear LeeAnne,

Yes, I have a great solution for you. To replace the missing tooth, I’d suggest you have a dental implant placed. That’s the best option. A second option would be to get a dental bridge. However, that would require crowning the two adjacent teeth. If they’re healthy there isn’t any point in doing that. You don’t want to unnecessarily grind down healthy tooth structure.

As for the deformed tooth, either dental bonding or a porcelain veneer will solve that issue. A porcelain veneer lasts longer than bonding but is more expensive.

The big trick will be finding a dentist experienced and skilled enough to match the implant to the veneer (or bonding). They are made completely differently. It will take a highly advanced dentist to make them look right together.

I am going to suggest you see a dentist who has been accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists have passed stringent exams as well as demonstrated their artistry in a large variety of cases they have personally done.

This will help you know that they can do beautiful work for you cosmetically. You’ll also want to check that they have dental implant training as well. This is an advanced procedure. Ask them what POST-doctoral training they have.

One other cosmetic consideration. The porcelain crown for the dental implant as well as the porcelain veneer can be made any color. However, you should know the color is permanent. It is always advisable to do teeth whitening before having the cosmetic work done. This way, whichever color your crown is done will be the color you’ll want permanently.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Affordable Smile Makeover

Posted on March 1, 2019 by writeradmin.

I really want a pretty smile, but there isn’t a way in the world I can afford to get porcelain veneers. Are there ways to affordably makeover your smile? To be specific, I have two chipped teeth, a gap in my front teeth, a couple of crooked teeth, and they all look old and yellowed.

Bernadette

Dear Bernadette,

Lexington Cosmetic Dentist — You can get a pretty smile on a budget

You can absolutely improve the appearance of your smile without getting porcelain veneers. Think of veneers as a Lamborghini. It’s stunning and the top of the line, but there are other gorgeous cars that won’t cost nearly as much. Though, they won’t be able to maneuver the way a Lamborghini can.

While veneers can change the shape, smile, and color of your smile simultaneously, most of those things can be done with other procedures as well.

Cosmetic Dental Options to Veneers

The first thing I’d recommend is to whiten your teeth. You can do it gradually with at-home teeth whitening or in just one appointment with Zoom Whitening. This is the fastest and most affordable way to improve your smile. It takes years off your appearance.

With crooked teeth, I often recommend Invisalign. This allows you to straighten teeth without a mouth full of metal.

Finally, for the chipped teeth I recommend dental bonding. This is a composite resin which is hand scultpted onto your teeth by a skilled cosmetic dentist to make up for the lost structure. It will blend in perfectly with your natural tooth structure.

Just be sure you do the whitening first, this way the new bonding can be made the right color. The bonding won’t change color once it is completed.

All of these procedures cost significantly less than porcelain veneers.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Press-on Versus Porcelain Veneers

Posted on January 28, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’d like to improve my smile. I’ve got very stained teeth along with three chipped teeth due to various falls. Yes, I’m a klutz. I’m working on it. While I realize porcelain veneers are the best option, I just plain can’t afford them. I recently read about press-on veneers. You tell their lab what you want and take a home impression then they mail them to you to press on. The only catch that I see is they are $1,000. I don’t want to spend that much money if they’re not useful. What are your thoughts?

Angela

Dear Angela,

A porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth — Porcelain veneers done by an expert cosmetic dentist will give you a gorgeous smile.

I’m glad you wrote before investing in something you’ll regret. Press-on Veneers aren’t anything like porcelain veneers. You should know they are only truly useful for something like a photo shoot, where you don’t have to talk or eat, and no one will see you too close in person.

With professional porcelain veneers, you smile is custom designed specifically to your smile according the dream smile you have in mind. They are then prepared by a ceramist hand chosen by the dentist for their skill who follows the dentist’s specific instructions.

Your teeth are also prepared for the veneers so there is no additional bulk on your teeth. After you approve them, they are permanently bonded onto your teeth. None of that will happen with the press-ons. I personally don’t feel they are worth the investment.

Alternatives to Porcelain Veneers

Based on the issues you outlined above, I think you will be much better served if you get your teeth whitened and then have the chipped teeth repaired with dental bonding. Both of those together could cost equal or less than the press ons.

Any dentist can do the tooth bleaching, which is the procedure you want first. After that, you can get the dental bonding done to match your new white color.

However, you will need a cosmetic dentist for that procedure. Though done in one appointment, it is done freehand and requires someone with good technical skills as well as an artistic eye to make them look beautiful and natural.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

I Think My Cosmetic Dentist Messed Up

Posted on June 20, 2017 by writeradmin.

I need a second opinion. I have a chipped tooth. Previously, it was repaired with dental bonding, but then I took a tumble down some stairs and it broke off. The original dentist retired so I went to her partner. He said the tooth couldn’t be repaired with bonding a second time. He wanted to do a dental crown. I didn’t want to do that because it’s just a small chip. I didn’t want to grind down my tooth, so as an alternative I suggested a porcelain veneer. He agreed. A few weeks later, the veneer was ready. He tried it on and said it looked great, then bonded it. On the way home something didn’t look right. I looked at it in my rearview mirror and it looked a tiny bit crooked plus there’s some space between it and the tooth. I turned around and returned to the dental office, but they told me it’s fine and once it’s bonded, there’s nothing which can be done. I’m truly concerned about this. Do you have a recommendation?

Laura W.

Dear Laura,

There are warning bells going off everywhere for this. First, there’s no reason dental bonding couldn’t have been done again to repair the bonding. My only guess is this dentist doesn’t know how to do dental bonding. That seems confirmed to me by the fact he suggested such a massive overtreatment as a dental crown for a chipped tooth. I have a further suspicion the dentist doesn’t know how to do porcelain veneers very well, but didn’t want to admit that.

A basic practice of cosmetic dentistry is the patient gets to look at the work before it’s permanently bonded on. However, let’s say it did look fine during the try-in. That leads me to believe it was improperly bonded on, especially with there being a gap between the porcelain veneer. This violates the protocol of treatment. A gap leaves you vulnerable to decay. Things will seep into the gap and eat away at your tooth.

While he’s right that once the veneer is bonded, it’s permanent, that doesn’t mean it can’t be re-done. The first veneer will need to be removed and the case started over from the beginning. At this point, it’s too late for dental bonding. You’ve had a veneer placed and another one will need to take its place. I do suggest you ask for a refund and get it done by a much more skilled cosmetic dentist. You’ll not only not have to worry about it getting properly bonded, but you can also be assured it will be done beautifully and naturally.

If you need help finding an expert cosmetic dentist in your area, go to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) website. Look for dentists in your area who’ve reached accreditation level. They’re the top cosmetic dentists in the country.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Fred Arnold.

Help! My Dentist Wants to Crown a Tooth for a Chip!

Posted on May 5, 2017 by writeradmin.

I have a small chip on a front tooth. I mentioned I find it embarrassing to my dentist. He said he can fix it. I was thrilled at first, but then realized by fix he means cover the whole tooth with a dental crown. It’s a healthy tooth and the chip is small. I don’t really want to grind it down to a nub. What are my options?

Kim S. – Nevada

Kim,

I’m in agreement with you. This is a huge overtreatment. I’m dumbfounded that your dentist even suggested it. The only reason I can think of is he’s not completed a lot of training in cosmetic dentistry. If he had, he’d know that the best way to fix a small chipped tooth is dental bonding. Don’t pressure him to do the procedure. It has to be done free-hand which does require some artistry. He’s likely not ready to do that. That may be why he suggested a crown. It might be the only procedure he knows how to do in this situation. However, even if the chip was so large it required a crown, I wouldn’t let any dentist do it. You’re talking about your front tooth. You want a skilled cosmetic dentist to match it to your other teeth and make it look natural.

Anytime you’re making a cosmetic change to your teeth, you want to evaluate what you’ll want in the long term. If you’re happy with your smile and just want to fix this chip, then great, bonding will be all you need. But, sometimes, you have other goals for your smile too. If that’s the case, now is the time to do other things. Once the crown is finished. you’d have to have an entirely new crown made to change anything about it.

The first thing to consider is if you’re happy with the color of your teeth. If not, get them whitened before you do the crown. Then the crown can match the new color of your whitened teeth. You can do that the traditional way using take-home whitening to control the level of whiteness you get, or you can do it in one appointment and just get their maximum whitening.

If there are other issues you’ve wanted to change, such as the shape and size of your teeth porcelain veneers are the way to go. They’ll give you a complete smile makeover. This will simultaneously take care of the chip, color, and any other changes you’d like.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Fred Arnold.