X
Patients Call: 847-884-8484

Archives for May 2025

Whitening Teeth with Tetracycline Stains

Posted on by .

I have pretty bad acne and my dermatologist has had me on tetracycline to treat it for over a year and it has done wonders for my face. I just had a dental appointment this week and they said I have brown stain lines on the back of my teeth. My sister said that it is from the tetracycline. Is that accurate? Is there a way to get rid of the stains? I certainly don’t want the brown stain lines on the front of my teeth.

Phillipa

Dear Phillipa,

teeth bleaching trays

Teeth Bleaching Trays

Unless you are using minocycline, which a particular variant of tetracycline, then the stains will not be from your tetracycline medication. While your sister is correct that they do stain people’s teeth, they only do that if you were taking the medication while your teeth were still forming. You didn’t mention your age, but you would have to be under thirteen years old for that to be the case. If you are taking minocycline, just ask them to switch you to actual tetracycline.

For people who may be reading this that have tetracycline stains, the standard way to deal with those stains are to use porcelain veneers. Though, you will want an expert cosmetic dentist to do them. Porcelain veneers are an advanced procedure by themselves and tetracycline stains are the toughest type of porcelain veneers case to do.

While they can create a gorgeous Hollywood smile, when done will, they are quite expensive. For many people they are just out of reach. An alternative is professional teeth whitening with take-home trays. It will take quite some time and you will have to be very persistent to make a difference. Your smile won’t be as white as they could be with the porcelain veneers, but they can greatly improve the appearance of your teeth.

Your particular stains, Phillipa, are on the back of your teeth. Porcelain veneers only cover the front of your teeth so they won’t be helpful to you. However, teeth whitening could make a difference. But, make sure what is the true origin of your stains so you can prevent them.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Cosmetic Dentist Dr. William Becker.

CEREC Crown Disaster

Posted on by .

I need some advice. I needed a dental crown. My dentist suggested a CEREC crown because I could get it in just one appointment. I liked that idea and agreed. It ended up being a disaster. She said she had to use a generic image from the database because my tooth was in such bad shape. When she put it in, there were problems with the fit of the crown. It was sitting pretty high. She ground it down a bunch. Now it is shorter than the rest of my teeth. Whenever I bite down on anything it hurts a lot. All of this took close to four hours. She insists that it will start to feel normal in a few days. I still don’t have a resolution for this a week later. I looked on the CEREC website and according to them, this should only have taken a short time to put in and fit perfectly. Did she do something wrong?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

Block of porcelain for a CEREC crown

I’m glad you wrote. Yes, your dentist did something wrong. In your place, I would ask for a refund and then just have a traditional porcelain crown made with another dentist, unless you want to give her another chance with the traditional crown. My suspicion is that she doesn’t understand how to run the CEREC crown software.

Her excuse that your tooth was in too bad of shape made me laugh. The whole point of needing a dental crown is because your tooth is in bad shape. The software, when used properly, can reconstruct what your tooth would look like and design a crown that would fit it perfectly.

You did not say where this tooth was, but if it is a front tooth, I would not recommend a same-day crown at all. These are milled from a single block of porcelain, which means when exposed to direct light the way your front teeth are, they will appear flat and fake. Traditional crowns use several different blocks of porcelain so that they can mimic the variations in natural tooth structure.

I don’t doubt that you plan on getting this fixed. However, for the sake of others, I want to mention the importance of making sure your bite is in alignment. With her having a dental crown that does not occlude with her other teeth properly, then it will throw off her bite. Left untreated, this can lead to TMJ Disorder.

As a side note, if you want to whiten your teeth, be sure to do it before you have your dental crown made. Once that is completed, bleaching will have no effect on it.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Infected Tooth and No Money

Posted on by .

I’m feeling desperate and hope you can help me. I am already missing a tooth in the back of my mouth. I don’t know what happened, but I’m pretty sure I have another infection. I’ve been having some pain for a while, but I don’t have any type of insurance and am currently out of work as well. I’m broke. Now, though, my cheek is swollen and the pain can no longer be ignored. Do you know any way I can get the help I need?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

Woman grabbing her jaw with her hand

Your situation is difficult and I’m sorry you are dealing with it. Sometimes people in your situation try to just take antibiotics in order to “treat” the infected tooth. This will only temporarily hold off a tooth infection from spreading. It will not actually cure the infected tooth. Then, once your antibiotic runs out, the infection returns with avengence.

The only real way to treat an infected tooth is by a dentist removing the infected pulp, either with a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction. The better option of those two is the root canal treatment because it saves your tooth. Your infection has left the tooth and has now spread to your cheek. I would consider this a dental emergency. As it continues to spread, it can become life threatening. Think about what would happen if it spread to your throat, heart, or brain. Your jaw is close to all of those. Patients still die from tooth infections every year.

My recommendation is that you call your local dental society. Ask them if there are any dentists or dental clinics that run charity hours for people without money and in need of urgent dental care. Most cities have something like that available. If there aren’t, you could call around to some dentists and explain your situation. Most dentists are compassionate and would likely be willing to work out a payment plan for you in order to get you the treatment you need.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.