I have a tooth that I chipped in a bicycle accident. I wanted to do dental bonding on it, because that would mean I could keep most of the tooth. However, my dentist said that they don’t hold and he wants to give me a dental crown. Is a crown my best option?
Sandy
Dear Sandy,
Even though dental bonding is the better repair for a chipped tooth, if you want this dentist to do the repair, you will have to get a dental crown. His reasoning that it won’t stay is his way of steering you away from a procedure he is uncomfortable doing.
Dentists rarely want to admit when they don’t know how to do something well. We’re taught expressing doubt about an ability will make the patient lose confidence. When a dentist is steering you toward something else, it often means they really can’t do what you are asking. If you pressure him into doing the procedure, you will end up with results you don’t like.
Dental Bonding for Chipped Teeth
If you want dental bonding, I’d like you to find a dentist who does it well. Look at their smile gallery, that is a before and after brag book of sorts. One word of caution. Make certain it is their actual work and not stock photos they stole off the internet.
If you absolutely love the results, then you are safe to go forward with that dentist. A suggestion I would make is to look closely at the color of your teeth. Are you happy with it? Will you be happy with it for quite a few years? If so, great. No further action needs to be taken.
If you are not happy with the color of your teeth, though not required at all, I would suggest you get your teeth whitened before doing your bonding. This is because once the bonding is done, the color can’t be changed. Otherwise, if you do whiten later, you will have to re-do the bonding in order to get it to match, which will cost you more money.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.