My dental bonding has been ruined by an at-home teeth whitening kit. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the free teeth whitening kit. But, it was too tempting not to try it. I had no idea my dental bonding would look so terrible. I followed the directions on the box and thought I did everything right.
Several years ago I had dental bonding done at a cosmetic dentist on some of my front teeth. At that time, I asked about whitening my teeth too, but I couldn’t afford the treatment plan. So, I was tickled when I received the free teeth whitening kit for participating in a local survey. But, now the bonding work sticks out worse than it did before. Is there anything that can be done to fix my smile? I look silly!
-Jasmine in Texas
Jasmine,
Free teeth whitening offers are often too good to be true. As you’ve discovered, supervision by a dentist is recommended whenever you are undergoing whitening. If you would have consulted with a dentist first, they would have made sure you were a candidate before moving forward. The dental bonding would have been identified and your treatment plan would have been altered.
Now, someone with dental bonding can still whiten their teeth. However, you would have been prepared for the outcome. Only your natural, living teeth are whitened by bleaching agents. Therefore, the composite bonding on your front teeth was left as-is and was not whitened. That is why your bonding stands out more now. The surrounding teeth have been whitened, which makes the bonding work appear darker.
It would be in your best interest to find a cosmetic dentist in your area to have this fixed. Unfortunately, the only way to fix your bonding is to have it redone. But, not just any cosmetic dentist can do bonding work well, especially on your front teeth. Since, the cosmetic dentistry will be so visible, you need to find a reputable cosmetic dentist than can blend in the composite bonding with your newly whitened teeth. Don’t just go to any general dentist to have this resolved. Or you’ll end up paying more in the long run when you’re not happy with the results.
Lastly, when you meet with the cosmetic dentist, be sure to discuss the desired whiteness of your overall smile. If you anticipate whitening your teeth more than the whitening kit achieved, you’ll want to get that done first. Then, have the dental bonding redone to match the newly whitened teeth. Also, an excellent cosmetic dentist will know this, but you need to let the color stabilize for a couple weeks too. Then, the cosmetic dentist will be able to best match and blend in the bonding with your surrounding teeth.
Thank you for your question. Hopefully, this is helpful in outlining your next steps.
This post is sponsored by Barrington cosmetic dentist James T. Gavrilos DDS.