I’ve had dental bonding on my front four teeth to get a smile makeover a few years ago, and it is beginning to get a bit stained looking compared to the rest of my teeth. Someone told me that Supersmile Toothpaste is recommended for people with cosmetic dental work. I see that there is also an accelerated whitening kit. Will this help with my bonding?
Greg
Dear Greg,
Whether or not Supersmile Toothpaste can help you with the stains on your dental bonding will depend on the type of stains you are dealing with. If you are talking about surface stains, and the dental bonding still has its
polish, then Supersmile Toothpaste will do wonderful things for your teeth.
Unlike most whitening toothpastes, this will not damage the enamel of your teeth. The over-the-counter whitening toothpaste you can get at stores use abrasives to get stains off your teeth. While effective, this will also damage the enamel. The result is that it will pick up stains faster. While it is a great way to for them to make customers dependent on their products, it doesn’t do wonderful things for the health of your teeth in the long run.
Supersmile is different. Plaque and other stains attach to the protein pellicles on the surface of your teeth. Supersmile uses Calprox, which is a non-abrasive form of calcium peroxide. This safely breaks down the protein pellicles on your teeth, which takes the stains with it. It also has the added benefit of remineralizing your teeth, which helps a great deal with preventing cavities.
If however, your dental bonding has lost it’s polish, then it will not help your stains. In that case, you are better off having the bonding redone.
As for the accelerator kit, the whitening ingredient, will make your teeth brighter, but like professional teeth whitening, it will only work on natural tooth structure. This means your teeth will get whiter but your bonding will not.
Bonding does not last as long as porcelain veneers so if you’re looking for something more permanent, I would go with that. I am actually surprised your dentist didn’t do veneers to begin with. It is the standard procedure, gives more beautiful results, and lasts longer.
This blog is brought to you by an AACD accredited dentist in Hilton Head, Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
