Baton Rouge Dentist

Archives for December 2016

Whitened My Teeth Before I Knew I Was Pregnant

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Did I hurt my baby? I whitened my teeth before I even knew I was pregnant.

Terrified Almost Mom – California

Dear Terrified,

You’re not an “almost” mom, you’re a mom. And based on your question, you’re a great one.  First, take a deep breath. You haven’t hurt your baby. I realize teeth whitening hasn’t been approved by the FDA for use during pregnancy, but here’s why.

In order to get FDA clearance, trials have to be performed in which pregnant mothers have teeth whitening done and then healthy babies are born. As you can imagine, there aren’t many moms who are running to have experimentation done on their unborn child.

If you’re still worried, just remember there’s nothing you can change about something that’s already done and stress IS bad for your baby. Relax.  From here on out, just don’t do any touch-ups, eat healthy, be active, and don’t punish yourself for something which wasn’t wrong.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.

Is There An Affordable Way To Re-do Porcelain Veneers?

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I’m hoping you can help me figure out how to find an affordable dentist to re-do my porcelain veneers. I’ve been ashamed of my smile since childhood. I called around to get the best deal after I got my first real job, but to be honest, it doesn’t look natural. In fact, it looks almost wooden, which is worse than my old smile.  I need to get it redone, but I’ll need to find an affordable dentist to do it.

Mary P. – West Virginia

Mary,

You’re definitely going about this the wrong way. There are quite a few procedures where finding the most affordable dentist is feasible. Cosmetic dentistry, such as porcelain veneers, isn’t one of them. In fact, you’re almost guaranteeing yourself bad results, which is what you have now.

In all honesty, if you want a beautiful smile, you’re going to have to change the way you approach it. When you consult with the dentist, I want you to ask to see their smile gallery. That is a group of before and after pictures of cosmetic work.  Ideally, you’ll want to see full face and close-ups.

Be certain that they’re showing you actual photos of their work.  Some less scrupulous cosmetic dentists will just show stock photos and pass them off as their own.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.