I had sensitivity near the gumline on four of my front teeth. My dentist applied bonding on the teeth to cover the roots after I finished Invisalign treatment in early February. Although I did not get the bonding for cosmetic reasons, you can see the difference between my teeth and the bonding. The bonding is pasty looking and has a matte finish. People used to compliment my smile. I complained to my dentist, but she says it looks fine because the bonding is near the tooth roots, and you can barely see it. I’m going to see another dentist to correct it. Will a dentist need to remove the bonding, or can they apply new bonding over what my dentist did? Will removing the old bonding damage my tooth enamel? Thank you. Kendyl from Knoxville, TN
Kendyl,
We are sorry about your experience. We are sure it is disappointing, especially after completing your Invisalign treatment and looking forward to a new smile. It is not challenging to get color and texture right for fillings at the gumline. A good general dentist can match the color and polish the composite to a natural gloss. If your case were complex and affecting your teeth’s smile zone, we would recommend an expert cosmetic dentist. But another dentist with some cosmetic dentistry training should be able to help.
Must Mismatched Bonding Be Removed or Just Resurfaced?
Whether mismatched bonded must be replaced or resurfaced depends on the extent of the mismatch. Another dentist may remove some of the filling surfaces, apply the correct color, and polish the bonding. Even if the dentist must remove your existing bonding, they can use dental instruments to remove the composite without damaging your tooth.
Abfraction lesions near the gumline
A cosmetic dentist can provide dental bonding that complements your straight teeth after Invisalign treatment
An abfraction lesion is a notch near the gumline. It develops from excessive teeth clenching, which causes teeth to flex and weaken. Teeth clenching can cause gum recession. And if you have abfraction lesions hear your gumline, your dentist must choose a softer, flexible composite that will absorb the stress of tooth flexing when you clench. Silux Plus and Renamel are two brands of flexible composite. Otherwise, the fillings will weaken and pop out.
If you are going to switch dentists, we recommend looking for dentists with advanced cosmetic dentistry training. An accredited cosmetic can achieve the results you want, but again, your situation is not complex, so a dentist with cosmetic dentistry training can give you good results.
David Finley, DDS, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Monroe, LA, sponsors this post.
