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.

Porcelain veneers on just one arch

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I want to remake my smile and have decided on porcelain veneers. However, there is no way that I can afford to do both arches of teeth.  Is there some way I can do that without it looking like I have real teeth on bottom and fake teeth up top because of their difference?

Becky W. – Bryant, AR

Becky,

Yes, there is a very simple solution for that. I suggest before you get your porcelain veneers done, you have your teeth whitened to the shade that you are wanting for all your teeth.

After the teeth whitening procedure is done, give it about two weeks for the color to settle. Then you can get however many porcelain veneers you can afford.  The rest of your teeth will be a beautiful white color and not look like they come from a completely different mouth.

Teeth whitening is a lot less costly than veneers, so you should be able to do both procedures.

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

Do they do smile makeovers with crowns?

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Not long ago, I decided to have a smile makeover. I thought I received porcelain veneers, but when I look at my teeth, the porcelain appears to go all the way around my teeth. I’m wondering if this was completed like this because my teeth weren’t strong enough before the makeover. Is it normal to have my entire tooth covered even though my procedure was done for cosmetic reasons?
– Anton in Louisiana

Anton,
There isn’t a big difference between porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns. In fact, it’s hard to determine when a porcelain veneer becomes a crown. In terms of fees, most cosmetic dentists have fees that are close to the same for either procedure because both types of dental work take about the same amount of work to finish.

When you receive cosmetic work, it’s quite common to have porcelain crowns done across your front teeth. Your dentist usually has a good reason to have the whole tooth done in the makeover. In fact, there are many reasons your tooth may be crowned.  If your tooth was weak in any way, if there were fillings in the teeth or if your bite needed improvement, you would need more extensive treatment.

It’s important that dentists discuss with you why they might recommend crowns. The majority of cosmetic dentists do their best to be conservative with their work. They do this by trying to preserve as much or your natural tooth structure as possible. They know that crown work is more aggressive and requires a substantial amount of tooth reduction all the way around and they do their best to avoid it whenever possible. However, sometimes the tooth is too weak and needs more stability with crowns. Veneers require only a slight shaving of the front of the tooth.  This is why you need to have a proper explanation for why you might need crowns.

This blog brought to you by Baton Rouge family dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.