Whitening Fluorosis Stains

My son has fluorosis stains which make his teeth spotty brown. Our dentist used teeth whitening but that didn’t help with the stains very much. She said we could try porcelain veneers or bonding, but I didn’t like the sound of try. I decided it was time for some research. I don’t think he’s old enough for porcelain veneers. This tells me that she’s not very knowledgeable about the cosmetic end of things. I need some advice.

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

Teeth Whitening Trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

You are wise not to trust this dentist to do anything cosmetic with your son’s teeth. She should have known that teeth whitening would not work on fluorosis stians or any other splotchy stains for that matter. Even though it whitens the teeth, it whitens them evenly. That means the teeth will still be splotchy and look even more odd with the brighter color.

I’m glad you caught her saying “Let’s try….”. You need her to give you clear solutions and to assure you she knows how to do them well.

You didn’t mention your son’s age, but a general rule of thumb is you’d want his jaw and smile to be completely developed before investing in porcelain veneers. A good solution would be to get dental bonding done. This will use a composite resin that a dentist will hand sculpt onto your son’s teeth to cover the stains. They don’t last as long as porcelain veneers, but you’re just holding off until he is old enough for the veneers.

I want to caution you, you need a dentist who is skilled in placing dental bonding. It has to be done freehand. I’d like you to check the dentist’s smile gallery. This should be before and after pictures of actual cases he or she has done. Ask specifically to see the dental bonding cases.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.