Baton Rouge Dentist

Whitening bonding

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I had some composite bonding done on several years ago, but they’re starting to stain. I had just gotten the bonding to match my natural teeth at the time, because I was short on funds and couldn’t whiten also.  Now I’m in a position to whiten and wondered if it will also whiten my bonding.

Jennifer S. – Wyoming

Jennifer,

No, unfortunately your bonding will not whiten with the teeth whitening. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have gorgeous teeth. I would go ahead and whiten your teeth. When you have them the shade you want, then you can have the bonding re-done.

If you’ve had them for several years and they’re starting to stain, then you’d likely need them re-done anyway. Now you can have it match your new white color.

Not to add expense, but in case there are other things with your teeth that have bothered you, you may want to talk to your cosmetic dentist about porcelain veneers. They can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

If you’re happy with everything but the color, then just stick with the whitening and bonding.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Can’t afford veneers for both arches

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I really wanted to get porcelain veneers, but am not sure it will do any good if I can only get it on the top arch.  My dentist quoted me for both arches, but I can’t afford that.  I figure that the top arch is the most obvious, but they’ll look fake if my bottom teeth are all dark and crooked.

Hilliary P. – Missouri

Hilliary,

Unless your bottom teeth are in very bad shape, most dentists will only put porcelain veneers on your top arch. Then they’ll use teeth whitening to match the bottom arch’s color to your new veneers.

If your teeth are really bad on the bottom, the whitening will mask the problem until you can afford another arch. Believe me, the whitening to match the veneers will make them look a lot better than you realize.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Smile makeover without much money

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I only have about five hundred dollars, but I really want to do something about my teeth.  They’re old and have a little chip in the front. What can I do with that kind of money?

Giada O. – New Jersey

Giada,

You can easily do professional, take home teeth whitening in that price range.  To be honest, teeth whitening is one of the easiest (and dramatic) things you can do to brighten up your smile.  Having whiter teeth takes years off your appearance.

Depending on the size of the chip on your tooth (and the prices of your dentist), it’s feasible that you can have dental bonding done on the chip on your tooth. Depending on what exactly will need to be done with the tooth, it will generally cost between $100-$600 per tooth.

Be sure you get the tooth whitening done before you do any bonding. That way it will be matched to your new white color.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Do Crest Whitestrips work as well as dental teeth whitening?

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I keep seeing Crest Whitestrips in the stores. Do they work as well as dental teeth whitening?

Jana G. – Alabama

Jana,

Well, it depends on what you’re actually asking. If you’re wanting to know if they will whiten your teeth, then the answer is yes. If you’re asking if they work as well as professional teeth whitening, then the answer is no.

It is not nearly as strong a whitening solution because it is sold over the counter. It would take many, many boxes to get your teeth as white as your dentist could. Also, the strips only cover just a few of your front teeth. You’ll have visible teeth that don’t get whitened.

There is a solution to that though. You could put more than one strip on at a time on each arch in order to cover all the teeth that you’ll want whitened.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Bonding turning yellow

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I’ve had my dental bonding for a few years on a chipped tooth. It is starting to get stained, so the bonding part is a different color than the rest of my tooth.  Could teeth whitening help this? I’ve been wanting to whiten my teeth anyway, but this would give me a reason to justify it.

Elizabeth J. – Louisiana

Elizabeth,

It sounds like your dental bonding has reached the end of its useful life.  Teeth whitening won’t help whiten any type of dental work. It’s only useful on natural tooth structure.  In order to get that chip to match the remainder of your teeth it will have to be replaced.

As you’re wanting whiter natural teeth as well, it’s important you do your teeth whitening before you have the new bonding done.  That way it can be tailored to your new brighter color.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Nuclear Teeth

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I want to whiten my teeth, but a couple of my friends have already done it and I think their teeth are too white. In fact, they almost look like they’ve survived a nuclear explosion and are radioactive. Is there avoid that “news anchor” white?

Tracy B. – Colorado

Tracy,

Tracy,

You are in complete control of how much whitening your teeth get. I’d suggest you get at home teeth whitening. That gives you more control.  You’ll simply wear the trays with the gel in it until you reach the level of whitening you are comfortable with.

There is nothing that will make your teeth go nuclear unless you decide to, so you should be just fine.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Teeth whitening didn’t work

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I had my teeth whitened. They looked great for a while, but now the stains are back. Is teeth whitening really some kind of scam?

Dan B. – Florida

Dan,

No. The teeth whitening worked. In fact, the stain removal is permanent. The stains you are seeing on your teeth now are new ones.

The food you eat and the drinks you consume all stain your teeth, especially if you drink things like coffee or eat staining fruits.

Usually your dentist lets you keep your trays. This way you can just get some new gel periodically to do a touch-up.  You shouldn’t need it very often.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Why can’t I whiten my crown?

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My dental crown has started to get stained. I don’t know what to do. My teeth are discolored anyway, so I thought I could knock off two birds with one stone, but my dentist says it is not impossible. Is there anything I can do?

A.J.  – San Diego

A.J.,

Unfortunately, your dentist is right. Dental work, such as veneers or crowns, cannot be whitened even with professional teeth whitening. Your only option is the have the dental crown replaced. If you do this, let me give you some advice that will make it the best result possible for you.

First, if you’re going to want to get your teeth whitened as well, you’ll want to do that before you get your new crown made. That way your crown can be specifically designed to match your new white smile.

Secondly, you’ll want to get all-porcelain crowns, not porcelain fused to metal. That will give you a more natural and aesthetic result.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Whiten dark lines at top of teeth

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I’ve been getting these dark lines at the top of my teeth, near the gumline. It’s on all the teeth that have dental crowns. Will teeth whitening solve this problem?

Stacy S.  – Wyoming

Stacy,

Unfortunately, the problem isn’t your teeth, it’s your crown. You can’t whiten dental crowns using teeth whitening. It sounds like your dentist gave you porcelain fused to metal crowns. Eventually, they all develop a dark line at your gumline.

The only way to fix this problem is to get new crowns. This time get all porcelain crowns. They’ll be more natural looking and you won’t get a gray line. However, because you realize that dental work can’t get whitened, you might consider getting your teeth whitened before you re-do the crowns. Then, you can get the all-porcelain crown to match your new sparkly white smile.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

My smile embarrasses me

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My teeth have been really dark ever since I was a girl. The older I get, the more embarrassed I get about it. My teeth look like I never clean them. No matter what I do they don’t get whiter. Is there anything I can do about it?

Amanda T. – Rhode Islan

Amanda,

Of course, I haven’t examined you, but I suspect the dark stains on your teeth are tetracycline stains.  It is an antibiotic that affects the coloring of developing teeth. Tetracycline stained teeth can be anywhere from a little grey to a dark brown.

I’m sorry this happened to you. I know it is hard to feel confident with a smile that makes you uncomfortable. I’m going to tell you about some cosmetic options. First, you need to be aware that it is very hard to whiten tetracycline teeth, so those these options will help, they will not be perfect.

One option is teeth whitening. There is an oxidation process that takes place during professional teeth whitening. It will help.  It may not get them perfectly white, but they will be greatly improved.  A second option is porcelain veneers. However, let me caution you a little more with this one.  Any dentist can do teeth whitening on tetracycline stained teeth. However, very few dentists can do porcelain veneers on tetracycline stained teeth well. Either they end up getting them too opaque to cover the stains, which makes them look fake, or they are too translucent and show the stains. You would have to be willing to spend extra money to go to an expert in order for these to work in a way that you’d be pleased with the results.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.