I have some white spots on my teeth. My dentist gave me a choice between two treatments and I’m not sure which to do. He says it is up to me. The first is tooth mousse. The second is teeth whitening. Is one a better option than the other?
Calvin
Hi Calvin,
I’m glad you wrote. It seems your dentist is in over his head a bit, though I am sure he has the best of intentions. Neither of these are a good esthetic solution for what you are dealing with and I get the impression that is what you are after.
Tooth Mousse is designed to help remineralize white spots to help keep them from turning into decay. However, the company makes no claim at it helping to remove the white spots. If your white spots are from decalcification, which are precursors to decay, it would be a good idea for you to use the tooth mousse as a protection, but don’t expect the appearance of the teeth to change.
Teeth whitening is a no-go for white spots. The whitening procedure will whiten your teeth evenly, which means the areas surrounding the white spots will get brighter, but so will the white spots themselves. This leaves you in the same boat you were in to start with.
If you want whiter teeth, then yes, go ahead and whiten them but after you complete that you will need a separate treatment to get rid of the white spots.
The Solution to White Spots
There are two things that would be beneficial to you in this situation. The first is microabrasion. This is when a dentist places an acid-pumice slurry on the tooth and it will often cause the white spots to disappear. A second option is to use composite bonding to cover the white spots.
Both of these are probably best done with a different dentist who has more understanding and experience with cosmetic work.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.