teeth whitening Archives | Poplar Crossing Dental

Dental Bonding Already Staining

Posted on May 8, 2023 by writeradmin.

I had my dental bonding done just two and a half weeks ago and it is already picking up stains. I have been drinking coffee, but my dentist never told me not to. Could this be what is staining my teeth? I was hoping my smile makeover would last longer than this. Is there any way to get it white again? Maybe teeth whitening?

Carmen

Dear Carmen,

I am curious as to why your dentist decided to do dental bonding for your smile makeover instead of porcelain veneers. In general, dental bonding is used for smaller restorations, such as chipped teeth or tooth gaps. If you want a complete smile makeover, porcelain veneers are the standard procedure. While it is a bit more expensive it lasts years longer.

Even though dental bonding doesn’t last very long, it should not be staining yet. There are a variety of composite bonding materials. Some are better for aesthetic procedures. Some are better for basic maintenance. It sounds like your dentist is your basic bread and butter dentist who does not stock the higher value composites needed for detailed cosmetic work.

I’m just guessing here, but it sounds like your dentist used a lower quality material that couldn’t be polished to a high shine. Another possibility here is he didn’t take the time or didn’t have the polishing equipment to be able to give it the high shine necessary to protect it from stains.

Your dentist either needs to use a Microfill or nanofill composite in order to get it up to the shine you need to protect it. I suggest you go back to your dentist and show him this post and request that he do this to repair the bonding. If he cannot, he should refund your money so you can get it done by someone who can.

Teeth whitening will not work to remove the stains. It will only whiten natural tooth structure. The only repair is either the one I just mentioned or to have the makeover completely redone.

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

How Much Dental Work Can Be Done in One Appointment?

Posted on April 17, 2023 by writeradmin.

I want to catch up on my dental work and am hoping to get as much done as possible at my appointment. I have 5 root canals that need to be done, 3 fillings, and I’d like to whiten my teeth. Can you tell me how much of this can be done at once?

Barbara

Dear Barbara,

The amount of work done at each appointment will vary from dentist to dentist. You will find that a dentist who offers dental sedation will be able to get more done at each appointment (and be more willing to). If you don’t want sedation then much of it will depend on your ability to tolerate the treatment.

Any general dentist can do teeth whitening, so that is no big deal. Your root canal treatments can be done in one appointment if they are on front teeth. Back teeth take much longer, especially for a general dentist. Those will take a general dentist between one and a half and two hours per molar. However, an endodontist (root canal specialist) can work much faster. The fillings could also be done in one appointment, as well.

As I mentioned in the beginning, much of this will depend on the dentist and their preferred work flow. If you don’t have a regular dentist, I would start with a sedation dentist so you can squeeze as much in as possible. Then, just call around and ask them about timing.

If your teeth need root canals because of an active infection, then you don’t want to put this off. These infections spread and can become life-threatening. In those cases, I would let them know and they can schedule you during one of their urgent care appointments, if they provide those.

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

Zoom Whitening on Blood Thinners

Posted on February 25, 2023 by writeradmin.

This may be a very silly question, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I am on blood thinners and have been for quite some time. This started after my heart attack. I’m in good health now but still have to take the blood thinners. That being said, I am tired of having old looking stained teeth. I don’t smoke, so I’m surprised they look this dark. I do brush twice a day. I have been toying with the idea of Zoom Whitening because it allows me to get my teeth whitened quickly. However, I didn’t know if being on blood thinners made this a dangerous procedure for me.

James A.

Dear James,

Zoom allows you to get your teeth whitened quickly!

That is not a silly question at all! In fact, any question regarding your health or well-being is important. You are much better off asking a question about potential risks than if you were to be in the procedure and then find out the dangers to your unique situation.

The good news is that you will be relieved on a couple of counts here. First, the stained, dark color of your teeth is probably not your fault. You brush twice a day, as you are supposed to, but as we age the accumulation of stains from foods we eat and beverages we drink add up. It was inevitable.

Zoom whitening is a great choice for you. The procedure is non-invasive, so you do not have to worry about any sharp implements that could catch on your gums and cause some uncontrolled bleeding.

One word of caution. This is all assuming that you are keeping up with your dental check ups and have good oral health, which would mean no periodontal disease. When a patient has gum disease, it means that their gums will bleed much more easily. That would not be a good thing in your situation.

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

Will Medicaid Cover Porcelain Veneers?

Posted on February 1, 2023 by writeradmin.

Ever since my cancer treatments, my teeth have been an absolute mess and I am ashamed to smile. I want to get porcelain veneers, but they are pretty pricey. I’m on Medicaid, which tells you about how much I earn. Is it possible that Medicaid would cover the porcelain veneers because my problem is medical?

Megan

Dear Megan,

I am so sorry for all you have been through. Cancer does a number on every part of your body, including your teeth. They are basically poisoning you in order to cure you. Unfortunately, Medicaid does not care about the reason your teeth have deteriorated. The big problem with government funded health care is that they will only cover the cheapest option. In their mind, it would be cheaper to remove your teeth and give you dentures than to try and save your teeth as well as make them beautiful with porcelain veneers. I would not recommend their solution. In fact, completely removable dentures cause more problems than they solve.

The first thing I would do is ask your dentist for some fluoride treatments to try to heal some of the damage done. He or she should be willing to do that given your situation. Then, evaluate the situation with any decay. Once the decay is dealt with it is time to get a pretty smile back.

If you really want porcelain veneers, I would save up for them so you can have them done by an excellent cosmetic dentist. In the meantime, teeth whitening is the most affordable way to improve your smile quickly. That alone can make you look years younger. Just make sure you have used that fluoride and your teeth are no longer dealing with the sensitivity that likely developed throughout your cancer treatments.

I wish that government healthcare were better and that they factored in situations such as yours. Unfortunately, they are all about the bottom line.

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

Why Are My Teeth Crowding If I Had My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Posted on January 7, 2023 by writeradmin.

Years ago, when I was a young pup, I was told if I had my wisdom teeth out that I would never need braces because there would be plenty of room for my teeth. Fast forward an intentionally unspecified number of years and I find my teeth getting crowded and crooked. My dentist suggested orthodontics. Why would I need those if I had my wisdom teeth out? Did I do something to cause this? Is there an alternative to a mouth full of metal?

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

Our teeth are not permanently positioned. So, movement is possible even as an adult. Here are some issues adults face:

One big culprit for adults is bruxism or teeth grinding. You may not even realize you are doing it because most people do it at night while they are sleeping. Your dentist could tell you if there are signs of wear on your teeth which would be an indicator. If you do grind your teeth, you will want to wear a night guard to protect them. Otherwise, you can grind them down to nubs and the repair for that is tens of thousands of dollars.
Tooth loss is another issue adults can face. If you do not replace the lost tooth, even if it is in the back, the other teeth will shift or tip into the empty space. Depending on the direction the tooth goes this can cause crowding toward the front.
Another possibility is poorly done dental work. If you have a dental crown placed that doesn’t fit the way it should it could shift the other teeth to make room for it.
Sometimes an injury or trauma to your teeth or jaw can impact the placement of your teeth.
Gum disease is another culprit. When gum disease is left untreated, then you end up losing some bone structure which loosens teeth and causes them to shift or even fall out. Smokers may not even realize they have gum disease because the nicotine in cigarettes masks the most common symptoms.

Invisalign – The Braces Alternative

My suggestion is you get evaluated by a dentist who offers Invisalign. Instead of the metal wires and brackets that nobody wants to wear, Invisalign uses clear aligners that gently guide your teeth back into their proper alignment. These not only work faster than braces, but they are invisible to others even at a conversational distance.

There is a hidden benefit too, which is especially helpful to those of us in an undisclosed age range. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, essentially giving you a mini smile makeover.

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

Dental Care and Addiction Recovery

Posted on July 14, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am on a methadone treatment plan for addiction recovery. I need a lot of work on my teeth. The problem I have is in getting dentists to care about any pain, especially post-operative pain I’m in. It has made it almost impossible for me to go to the dentist to get significant work done. But, the situation will only get worse if I don’t do something. Even offering my clinic number and asking them to speak with both my counselor and doctor has not done anything to sway my dentist. What do I do?

Randy

Dear Randy,

First, let me say it is awesome that you are working on your addiction. That is huge and your life will be much better for it in the long run. I know it feels excruciating right now, but in a few years you will be glad you did it. As for your treatment issues, what you are bumping up against is fear. Dentists have a fear of the D.E.A. which can completely crush their practice. What you need is a dentist who has more compassion than fear. I would start by looking for a sedation dentist. They tend to have more of an empathy for patients in your situation. There will be some real side benefits to this for you as well.

First, when you have had painful experiences at the dentist it tends to up your dental anxiety which inversely affect the effectiveness of the local anesthetic you get. This makes the appointment even more painful. The only way to break the cycle is to reduce the anxiety. Dental sedation will do this for you.

Second, if you get something like oral conscious sedation, it will allow the dentist to get more work done at each sitting. This will get you caught up on your needed dental work much faster.

I’m going to suggest when all this is done that you give yourself some kind of treat to improve your smile even more, such as teeth whitening. It is the least expensive cosmetic treatment and gives you real bang for your buck, making you look years younger.

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

Bleaching Teeth With Clorox

Posted on June 24, 2021 by writeradmin.

I want to whiten my teeth fast for a special event I have coming up. I tried rinsing my teeth with peroxide every day, which is what I believe dentists use, but that didn’t work. Would Clorox bleach work better?

Karla

Dear Karla,

Let’s first talk about why the peroxide didn’t work. There are two factors missing from your peroxide regiment that made it unsuccessful. The first is the strength of the peroxide. The over-the-counter peroxide you get is a 3% peroxide concentration. The gel that dentists use contains between 25 – 33% peroxide. This is a much more effective way to whiten your teeth.

You can’t actually purchase that strength because of federal regulations. They want to protect patients from harming themselves because there are a few things that can go wrong at that strength without a dentist to keep an eye on things. A second issue that caused it to be ineffective is the length of time. In order for the whitening to take effect, the peroxide has to be on your teeth a minimum of 20 minutes for it to seep in. I don’t know anyone who could swish peroxide on their teeth for that long.

This is why dentists use bleaching trays, such as the one pictured above. The trays keep the teeth whitening gel on your teeth for the length of time you desire. They also protect your gums and the remainder of your mouth from being affected by the gel.

This leads me to your question about Clorox. This product is a base. It can destroy/burn living tissue. To illustrate this, many dentists use household bleach during root canal treatments. Its active ingredient is sodium hypochlorite which dentists use to eat away the debris left over and clean out the tooth.

My suggestion if you want fast teeth whitening is to go see a dentist who offers Zoom Whitening. This will whiten your teeth in just one appointment, while keeping your gums safe.

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

Zoom Whitening and Uneven Teeth

Posted on March 31, 2021 by writeradmin.

I’m wondering if our dentist did the Zoom Whitening wrong. Here’s the situation. When my daughter’s braces were removed, her teeth had an uneven color. Our dentist suggested we whiten them with Zoom because it is the strongest whitening. While her teeth are whiter, they’re still uneven and it actually makes it look worse. Did something go wrong with the procedure?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

I’m sure the Zoom whitening procedure was done correctly. The steps are fairly straightforward. The problem your daughter is facing is that it was not the right procedure for her situation. Any type of teeth whitening procedures, including Zoom, whiten teeth evenly. It won’t selectively whiten some areas to match the others. So what is the right treatment for your daughter’s situation?

The white spots on your daughter’s teeth are decalcification spots. This is fairly common after traditional braces. It is quite hard to brush thoroughly around all those metal wires and brackets. When students don’t brush those areas well enough the decalcification spots show up. Essentially, they are pre-cavities so you don’t want to leave them.

You can try a special product called Tooth Mousse that can remineralize teeth in certain situations, but in most cases, this has to be treated with dental bonding. To do this, a dentist will gently remove the decalcified area and replace it with composite dental bonding. It does take some artistry and training to do this well. It is a more advanced procedure than teeth whitening.

Because of this, I am going to recommend you use a different dentist for this particular procedure. Teeth whitening is the easiest cosmetic procedure there is and your dentist was confused about its principles. I don’t think there is much chance they will be able to do the bonding well.

For the benefit of other parents reading this, one way to avoid this situation is to get Invisalign instead of traditional braces. They’re removable, so it is easier to brush thoroughly. However, because they’re removable it does require your teeth to be responsible. If you don’t think they’ll wear them the correct amount of time or will lose them, then I’d stick with the braces.

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

How Can I Treat Different Types of Stains on my Teeth?

Posted on August 10, 2020 by ectree.

Hi,

Can you help me understand the different types of stains in teeth? I would like to know the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic stains. Also, if you would explain exogenous vs. endogenous stains, that would be helpful, too.

Thanks,

Kaylynn

Hi Kaylynn,

Based on your university e-mail address and your question, it sounds like you’re studying some aspect of dentistry. Although we usually don’t receive questions from students—and our primary function is to answer patients’ questions—we will help.

The terms you mentioned help categorize teeth stains, and they usually are mentioned in an academic or clinical setting. Although practicing cosmetic dentists refer to intrinsic and extrinsic stains, it’s unlikely that you’ll hear the terms exogenous or endogenous mentioned in a dental office.

Four Types of Teeth Stains

Extrinsic

Location: Stains on the surface of your teeth are extrinsic.
Causes
- Tobacco use
- Naturally occurring bacteria in a child’s mouth as teeth are developing
- Peridex mouthwash
Treatment: Milder extrinsic stains can be removing with brushing. Whitening toothpaste may help. A professional dental cleaning removes stubborn stains, and so can Supersmile toothpaste.

Intrinsic

Location: Stains that are absorbed into your tooth structure are intrinsic. It takes a long time for them to develop. And they are usually a shade of brown or yellow.
Causes
- Many years of drinking coffee or tea
- Smoking
- High consumption of pigmented fruits, such as raspberries
Treatment: Teeth bleaching treatment

Exogenous

Location: Exogenous stains can appear on the surface of your teeth or within the tooth structure.
Causes: External sources or outside agents
Treatment: Brushing, dental hygiene appointments, or teeth bleaching

Endogenous

Location: Deeply embedded within teeth
Causes: Usually, the stains are caused by external sources while a child’s teeth are developing. The culprits are usually are the antibiotic tetracycline or consuming too much fluoride. Some teeth have dark natural pigmentation.
Treatment: Although tetracycline stains might respond to bleaching, dentists usually recommend porcelain veneers. Fluorosis stains are treated with veneers because bleaching will make teeth blotchy. Bleaching treats dark natural pigmentation. Persistent bleaching treatments will lighten the natural pigmentation of your teeth.

This post is sponsored by Hoffman Estates pediatric dentist, Dr. William Becker, of Poplar Crossing Dental.

Porcelain Crowns Turning Yellow

Posted on January 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had beautiful porcelain crowns done on my front teeth. I was really proud of them and was careful to take excellent care of them. I do not smoke. I drink one cup of coffee a day and then water the remainder of the day. I brush three times a day and floss twice a day. I have only had them for six months and they are starting to stain and look yellowish. Do you know what is going on?

Liz

Dear Liz,

Something is definitely wrong with your porcelain crowns. Generally, unless they’ve been damaged somehow, restorations are more stain-resistant than your natural teeth. I can think of a few possibilities going on here, but the only way to know with certainty is to have a good cosmetic dentist look at them.

Possibility One: Your Crowns were Damaged During Your Cleaning

You mentioned you have had your porcelain crowns for six months. Is there a possibility you have recently gone in for a cleaning? Sometimes a hygienist will not understand the tragic results of using a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride during your cleaning. Either one of these will cause damage to the glazing. It’s the glaze on porcelain which makes them stain-resistant.

The best cosmetic dentists will instruct their staff on how to properly treat the dental work.

Possibility Two: The Lab Didn’t Finish the Glaze

There is always a possibility that the lab didn’t finish the crowns with their glazing. They would look good at first and slowly pick up stains. Because you are so diligent with your oral care you are just now starting to notice the issue.

Possibility Three: Your Dentist Didn’t Really Use Porcelain

We have seen some unethical dentists who told their patients they were placing porcelain but actually placed composite. This will, again, look good at first but is not nearly as stain-resistant.

Getting This Fixed

Your first step is to get a second opinion from a highly recommended cosmetic dentist in your area. Don’t tell them who did the work. Just tell them the crowns have been picking up stains and you would like their opinion as to why.

If it turns ut your dentist damaged them or mislead you, you don’t want just a refund. You want them to pay to have them done correctly by another dentist. If the problem was actually the lab, it should be the lab that fixes the issue.

If the crowns have to be redone, this gives you an excellent opportunity to brighten your smile with teeth whitening. It’s a way to get a bonus out of a disaster.

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