Dental Bonding and Teeth Whitening
I have some dental bonding that has been on for a few years. They’re pretty stained at this point. My dentist did tell me they would have to be replaced every few years, but I’m hoping to put off replacing them right now. While I know that teeth whitening cannot whiten dental bonding, is it possible for it to whiten it just back to where it was originally? If so, could I use white strips like you get at the store?
Steven
Dear Steven,
Unfortunately, teeth whitening will only whiten your natural tooth structure. Even if it could whiten them, I would not recommend Crest White strips to do it, if that was what you were referring to when you mentioned white strips. While they do work to whiten natural teeth, they have a much weaker gel than you would get with professional teeth whitening. You’d have to purchase a large number of boxes to get any significant results
While bleaching cannot get your dental bonding back to their original coloring. Sometimes, if the stains are just surface, then your dentist can polish them up to look better. However, dental bonding does not have the same type of protective glaze that porcelain veneers do. That makes it very possible the stains are more internal. If that is the case, then the only thing you can do is replace them.
I would expect replacing them periodically to be a regular part of having dental bonding. If you are looking for something more permanent, then porcelain veneers might be what you want. These can last for decades when well taken care of.
If you just have the bonding to replace a small chip or gap, then replacing the bonding may not cost you that much. If it is a larger surface, you may not want to replace them repeatedly. Another factor would be whether or not you were wanting to change anything else about your smile. If you’re happy with it, then there is probably no reason to upgrade. But, if you were looking to change the shape, size, or color of your teeth, then a smile makeover with porcelain veneers will take care of both your issues at once.
This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.