My 13-year-old daughter just had her braces removed. While the teeth are straight, they are splotchy, making them two-toned. Is there a way that our dental insurance will pay for the repair?
Caroline
Dear Caroline,
When teeth are splotchy immediately after braces, it generally means these are decalcification spots. These are precursors to cavities. It generally means that she was not very good at getting between all those metal wires and brackets while she was cleaning her teeth. Because this will have an impact on her enamel, your dental insurance should help.
That being said, I want to manage your expectations. Insurance is only interested in the repair and probably will not cover it as much as contributing to the repair. A second thing to consider is that repaired does not necessarily mean beautiful. You will want to invest in getting this done correctly. I would not let your family dentist do this repair unless he or she is an expert cosmetic dentist. The repair for this is an advanced cosmetic procedure.
The dentist would do some microabrasion to rid the splotchy bits and then will repair them with composite dental bonding. This has to be done freehand, so it takes someone with skill and artistry. The best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited. That would be my recommendation.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.