His Dental Bonding Couldn’t Look Worse

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My 11-year-old son’s dental bonding couldn’t look worse. He fell two weeks ago and broke both front teeth. Fortunately, he was at school, and it was a weekday, so we could get to our general dentist within an hour. The dentist was helpful and took X-rays. He said he could fill in both teeth with dental bonding, which he did two days later. The bonding looks like lumpy instant oatmeal. The color and texture are wrong. My son cried and is so embarrassed that he wouldn’t smile. Fortunately, he has not been teased, but then he makes sure no one can see his teeth when talking. I need this corrected, but I won’t relieve my son’s anxiety about letting our dentist try again. On top of that, we were planning to start clear braces for my son in two years. I don’t want to waste money on bonding if it won’t work. Where do we start?  – Thanks. Zach from IL

 

Zach,

We are sorry to hear about your son’s accident and embarrassing dental bonding.

Your dentist chose the right treatment option to fill in your son’s teeth. Unfortunately, the dentist is not skilled enough to produce aesthetic results with dental bonding. Especially when a large portion of a tooth is broken, a dentist must have an in-depth understanding of dental composite and artistic skills. So, although your dentist knew how to fix the problem, he couldn’t make it look natural.

We encourage you to get a second opinion from an advanced, preferably accredited, cosmetic dentist. Please don’t do otherwise because a dentist may recommend dental crowns for your son, which is a mistake for two reasons:

The pulp in a child’s tooth can be close to the surface, and grinding the tooth down for a dental crown can damage the pulp, requiring root canal treatment.

Your son is still growing, so the tooth will erupt further. The margin between the crown and tooth will show as the tooth erupts. It will be obvious that he has a dental crown.

We recommend searching online for a dentist with post-graduating cosmetic dentistry training who treats adults and children. Explain your concerns with dental bonding for your son’s teeth and your plans to start clear braces within two years. The dentist will explain your son’s options for dental bonding and how cosmetic dentistry can keep his teeth looking great as he grows.

Before and after dental bonding pictures from Baton Rouge cosmetic dentist Dr. Steven Brooksher

Before and after dental bonding photos of Dr. Brooksher’s work

I thought I was getting a smile makeover

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Although my dentist said she could use dental bonding to give me a smile makeover, it didn’t work out. She was supposed to fill in gaps and chips in my teeth. My teeth looked and felt bulky, and they caused me to pronounce some words with a whistling sound. I asked my dentist to remove the bonding, and now my teeth are discolored and blotchy. My dentist says that’s just the way my natural teeth look, but I have pictures of my smile before the bonding. And my teeth didn’t look the way they do now. I don’t trust her to do anything else with my teeth. Is the damage permanent? – Danae from MS

Danae,

Although Dr. Brooksher would need to examine your teeth, your description sounds like your general dentist doesn’t know enough about cosmetic dentistry to give you a smile makeover.

Bulky Dental Bonding

A cosmetic dentist uses dental bonding to fill in or conceal imperfections in your teeth. If you had chips and wear on your teeth, a cosmetic dentist would apply bonding to those areas and seamlessly blend in it with your natural teeth. But your dentist made your teeth so bulky that it affected your speech. It sounds like your dentist overdid it and applied bonding on the entire surface of each tooth.

Although some dentists can apply bonding to conceal a chip, it takes advanced training in aesthetics and artistic talent to create a smile makeover with dental bonding. A dentist must have the right tools and a variety of shades of composite to blend, match your teeth, and give you beautiful results.

Removing Dental Bonding

Advanced cosmetic dentists use specific tolls to remove dental bonding without damaging your tooth enamel. Three instruments a cosmetic dentist might use to remove bonding include:

  • Sandpaper disc
  • High-speed carbide drill
  • Air abrasion
Dental bonding smile makeover before and after photos from Steven Brooksher, DDS of Baton Rouge, LA

Accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Brooksher used dental bonding for this beautiful smile makeover

But if a dentist grinds off composite without noticing where it ends and where your tooth enamel begins, it’s easy to remove the enamel mistakenly. Before treatment, trained cosmetic dentists take pictures of your teeth. And they take “after” photos so you can see how the treatment improved your smile.

Although you can show your dentist photos of your smile, she probably won’t be able to restore your teeth and give you the smile makeover you want. But the pictures will back up your claims of faulty work and a request for a refund.

Get a Dental Bonding Second Opinion

Ask friends or family members if they know an experienced cosmetic dentist. Otherwise, you can search online for a dentist with accreditation in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry or the American Academy of Dental Esthetics. If it increases your comfort, you can schedule consultations with two cosmetic dentists to discuss your smile goals and treatment options for a successful smile makeover.

 

This post is sponsored by Steven Brooksher, DDS, a Baton Rouge dentist and accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.