My 15 year old saw a cosmetic dentist last month for teeth whitening. Our daughter is doing some modeling and local TV commercials, so she wanted her teeth whitened. Since the whitening, she began to feel a sharp pain in her left front tooth. My daughter fell and chipped the tooth three years ago, and her pediatric dentist seemed to do a job with using bonding to fill in the chip. Now I am wondering if we should not have gotten the tooth whitened. Did the pediatric dentist do a bad job with the dental bonding, or do teeth bleaching products weaken dental bonding? – Thank you. Leighanne
Leighanne,
Thank you for your question. Although Dr. Finley or Dr. Henderson would need to examine your daughter’s tooth for an accurate diagnosis. But we will provide some general information about bleaching teeth and sensitivity or pan.
Does Teeth Bleaching Weaken Dental Bonding?
Teeth bleaching does not weaken dental bonding. It is doubtful that your daughter’s pediatric dentist is at fault. If the dental bonding on her front tooth is weak, it would probably begin to come off the tooth and not just be painful.
Teeth Bleaching and Tooth Sensitivity
Sometimes, teeth bleaching causes tooth sensitivity. The bleaching process can make teeth porous sensitivity, and as the bleaching gel seeps in, it can irritate tooth nerves.
If any part of your daughter’s chipped tooth is sensitive, bleaching get can increase sensitivity. You should let your dentist know about it whenever you experience lingering sensitivity or pain after teeth bleaching.
Your dentist can coat your daughter’s tooth to resolve the sensitivity. Afterward, your daughter can do touch-ups or get teeth bleaching in the future without experiencing pain. Also, the cosmetic dentist may recommend a lower strength bleaching gel to reduce sensitivity.
David Finley, DDS of Monroe, LA, sponsors this post.
