Baton Rouge Dentist

Fluorosis stains on my kid’s teeth

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I’m writing for some clarifying advice, I hope. I am pretty sure I will need to find a new dentist, but could use a more educated opinion.

My youngest daughter has pretty bad staining on her teeth, from fluorosis. Her bottom teeth in the front are really yellow (they are permanent teeth), and her top teeth are blotchy and in some cases almost jagged on the side (those are still baby teeth, though).

She wears braces right now, to try and fix issues related to a long thumb-sucking habit. We put braces on before her 12-year molars came in to try and give her some more confidence in her smile sooner. She is REALLY self-conscious about her teeth, but I think now the discolorations and staining bother her more than the overbite. She is very shy.

Henri from Augusta

Dear Henri,

It is hard when your child suffers from confidence issues, and hopefully you can get connected with a skilled and experienced cosmetic dentist who understands the psychology behind appearance as well and the best techniques to enhance her smile.

If her staining is indeed severe, then the teeth must eventually be covered with porcelain veneers. Fluorosis is caused when the teeth are forming, by over-consumption of fluoride. This is sometimes caused by drinking water from public or private wells that has a naturally high level of fluoride over the course of several years when the teeth are developing. It can also be caused by a child repeatedly swallowing too much fluoridated toothpaste. Just as a note, your family dentist should reiterate each time you visit that a pea-sized amount of toothpaste is appropriate, and that you should make sure your child spits it out rather than swallowing.

It is important that you are confident your dentist knows the source of the staining before treatment. If your daughter’s bottom teeth are a uniform yellow (no blotchiness), it may not be from fluorosis, and a simple teeth whitening treatment may be sufficient. If the fluorosis staining is mild, it is possible that a skilled cosmetic dentist could cover the spots with dental bonding.

The key theme here is “skilled experienced cosmetic dentist”. Any dentist can say they do cosmetic work. But you want someone who can prove their skills with before and after pictures and evidence of accreditation and coursework. If you choose your dentist well, they will do a good job choosing the best treatment option for your daughter.

This blog post is a courtesy of the dental office of Dr. Perry, Baton Rouge dentist.

Can I get all this dental work done in one sitting?

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I just went to the dentist for the first time in more than 15 years. I need a LOT of work done!

I have three cavities, and one of my teeth needs to be shortened, because it is making my bite screwy. I need six root canal treatments. I’d like to have a teeth whitening procedure, too, but I don’t know how long all of this is going to take, or whether or not I should try to plan for multiple appointments.

I am really pressed for time, but it is more than that. One of the things that has kept me away from the dentist all these years is that I just HATE to go. I get in that chair and just start sweating and feeling sick. I am afraid if I don’t go and get it all done at once that I won’t go back after the first appointment, and everything will just keep getting worse. It took me a long time to work up the courage to go back. I don’t want to mess everything up by chickening out on the necessary appointments.

Theresa in Big Rapids

Dear Theresa,

Welcome back!

It is a little tricky to answer your question. The most significant limiting factor for sitting length is usually tolerance of the patient, and you’ve said that you get very nervous and tense in “the chair”.

It sounds like you would be a good candidate for sedation dentistry. A sedation dentist will medicate you for the treatment, so you would be able to do a much longer appointment than you would without medication. A non-fearful dental patient might be able to tolerate up to a four hour appointment, but without medication it is not likely you would be able to do anything close to that.

If you do not want to go with a sedation dentist, be very candid with your dentist about your fears and he or she will be able to work with you to figure out how best to get you the treatment you need.

One thing to note: if your root canals are on your front teeth, then a general dentist could probably get them done in one appointment. If they are in your back teeth, however, you’ll need to have them done in as few appointments as possible. If that is the case, you may want to consider a endodontist (a dentist who specializes in root canals) to get your root canals done.  

This blog is produced courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.