I want to get a quick second opinion. My daughter recently got her braces off and there are white spots on her teeth. Our dentist is suggesting teeth whitening. I want to get this done quickly so she isn’t self-conscious. Would Zoom Whitening be the best way? I heard this can be done in one day.
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
I’m glad you wrote. Your dentist has given you very bad advice. The white spots on your daughter’s teeth aren’t a teeth whitening issue. These spots mean there is decalcification on your daughter’s teeth. While fairly common on people after braces, it does need to be treated. Decalcification weakens the tooth and puts it at serious risk for decay.
Unfortunately, teeth whitening is the wrong solution. I’m not sure why your dentist recommended it. Teeth whitening works evenly on the tooth. The entire tooth will whiten but the spots will still be there and different from the remainder of the tooth. Even worse, you still haven’t dealt with the decalcification.
There are a couple of ways to deal with this. The first is by trying Tooth Mousse. This is a product designed for the recalcification of teeth. It is an inexpensive way to try to heal the teeth. However, it’s not likely to be fast.
The fastest way to treat this would be to cover the spots with dental bonding. However, you should be aware this needs to be done by an expert cosmetic dentist. I wouldn’t use your dentist. He currently doesn’t even have a rudimentary understanding of even the easiest cosmetic procedure— teeth whitening. Dental bonding has to be done freehand, so it will require an artist. I’d suggest an AACD accredited dentist if you can find one in your area.
What Zoom Whitening Will Do
I don’t want to ignore your question on Zoom Whitening, though. Zoom whitening does work in one appointment. Like traditional teeth whitening, though, it will whiten your daughter’s teeth evenly. If your daughter is currently unhappy with her natural tooth color, it will benefit her by making her teeth whiter.
However, it won’t get rid of the spots. That will still require dental bonding. My suggestion, in that case, is to use Zoom to get her teeth the color she wants, then have the dental bonding done. The color of bonding is permanent so doing the whitening first will enable her to get her bonding done the correct color up front.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
