Teeth whitening Archives - Page 4 of 13 - Lowell Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

Getting no cosmetic dentistry is better than going cheap

Posted on October 31, 2020 by AllSmiles.

I have six porcelain fused to metal crowns on my front teeth. In 2016, I asked my dentist to whiten my teeth, and now my crowns look bad. My dentist said I would need to get all new crowns to match my teeth. Why didn’t she tell me that before she whitened my teeth? I didn’t have money for that, so I just dealt with the mismatch.

In February 2018, I visited an AACD cosmetic dentist who told me he wouldn’t replace only six crowns. He said that if I didn’t do all eight crowns, I wouldn’t like the results. I considered getting eight crowns until the office quoted the cost of $825 per crown. I told the dentist that I need time to think about it.

So, I made the mistake of returning to the dentist that originally placed my crowns and mismatched them by whitening my teeth. She placed four new crowns for 2/3 the cost of the crowns that cost $825 each. I hated the crowns and told her that my crowns are too short and still don’t match my teeth. My dentist told me that I look at too many ads and am expecting perfect teeth. Although the teeth look short, after five visits, she corrected my bite.

It’s almost 2021, and I am depressed about my teeth. I feel like I’m throwing money away. But I’m only 53 years old, and I can’t see accepting my smile for the rest of my life. I’m getting anxious about going to a dentist who will keep me in a cycle of no-good crowns. Thanks. Alaina from NJ

Alaina,

Photo of teeth whitening trays in a case, for information on DIY teeth whitening from Lowell, MA dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

Get your teeth whitened before getting new crowns to ensure a match

An advanced cosmetic dentist, like the accredited cosmetic dentist you visited, will do a beautiful job in creating crowns that look good and function well. We recommend that if you can’t afford a well-trained cosmetic dentist, it’s best to leave your teeth alone, especially if your dentist adjusted your bite correctly.

The first dentist should have told you that bleaching your teeth wouldn’t help your crowns, but it would cause a noticeable color difference. And it doesn’t take an advanced cosmetic dentist to know that. If you can now afford to correct your smile, don’t compromise on quality. Be prepared to invest in a smile that a true cosmetic dentist can create. It will look good, it will last, and your quality of life will improve.

Michael Szarek, DMD, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Lowell, MA, sponsors this post.

Can A Dentist Whiten My Teeth to Match My Eyeballs?

Posted on July 31, 2020 by AllSmiles.

I think it would be cool to get my teeth bleached to match the color of my eyeballs. My teeth and eyes would play off each other. It sounds intriguing to watch people look at me and try to figure out what’s happening/what they are seeing. Is it possible for a dentist to get the color right, or am I unrealistic? Anise from CT

Anise,

What a creative question! Thanks for submitting it to our office. There are some challenges to bleaching teeth to match your eyeballs. We’ll explain why and tell you about an alternative.

Whitening Your Teeth to Match Your Eyeballs

Whether or not a dentist can bleach your teeth to match your eyeballs depends on the whiteness of your eyeballs. Although it’s possible, there is a limit to how white a dentist can bleach your teeth. A dentist can whiten your teeth but not predict if they will lighten enough for your goal.

An Alternative to Bleaching

Teeth whitening might not whiten your teeth enough to match your eyeballs

It’s easier to manipulate porcelain and get a good color match than to rely on teeth whitening. That’s why dentists who do a combination of whitening and porcelain veneers for patients with dark teeth will complete the whitening first. After the whitening stabilizes, a cosmetic dentist works with a ceramist to match the veneers perfectly to your whitened teeth.

Look for an advanced cosmetic dentist in your area and schedule a consultation to discuss the changes you want to make with your tooth color. The dentist will explain your options and what you can expect with teeth whitening vs. porcelain veneers.

Michael Szarek, DMD, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Lowell, MA, sponsors this post.

Do I Need Another Flling Or a Root Canal and Crown for a Sensitive Tooth?

Posted on April 16, 2020 by AllSmiles.

Last September, my dentist filled a top left tooth with a white filling. The tooth became sensitive to anything cold that I ate or drank. I scheduled an appointment with my dentist. She examined to tooth and said I had a deep cavity. She recommended a temporary crown, although I didn’t understand her explanation for it. She told me to give it a few months, and if sensitivity continued, she would do a root canal on the tooth and give me a permanent crown.

I haven’t returned to my dentist, although the tooth is still somewhat sensitive. My sister advised me to get a second opinion. Is it possible that I don’t need a root canal and crown, or do I need a new filling? I’m not ready to schedule a dental appointment yet, but I’ve been putting off getting my teeth whitened before the issue is resolved.

Thanks, Meghan from Burlington, VT

Meghan,

Thanks for choosing Dr. Szarek’s office to answer your question

Teeth whitening can increase sensitivity in an unhealthy tooth

Your decision to delay teeth whitening is wise. The bleaching gel can cause sensitivity without a pre-existing issue. Whitening your teeth before the issue is resolved would further irritate them.

Several factors affect whether you need additional dental work for sensitivity in your tooth.

Tooth Sensitivity and How to Treat It

Increasing tooth sensitivity – If your tooth sensitivity is increasing, you might need a root canal treatment. What we don’t understand is why your dentist put a temporary crown on your teeth. Was your tooth cracked? If so, a dentist would cover it with a dental crown.
Additional dental work can make things worse – If a tooth is sensitive, further work on it can make things worse—even aggravating the living tissue inside the tooth and creating a need for root canal treatment.
Watch and wait – At this point, we don’t recommend a new filling, a new crown, or any additional work. Just work. Your irritated tooth nerved need time to settle down. If it begins to feel worse, call your dentist. If you’re uncomfortable with your dentist, get a second opinion.
If your tooth is sensitive after a filling – If you receive a composite or silver filling and later begin to feel sensitivity in the tooth, bacteria from the original decay has spread into the tooth pulp. Your body’s defenses may get rid of the infection. Otherwise, a dentist will perform root canal treatment. Although people joke about root canal treatment or refer to it in negative ways, skilled dentists make the procedure painless.

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.

3 Possible Causes of Yellow Dental Crowns and What You Can Do About It

Posted on February 25, 2020 by AllSmiles.

In September 2019, I received six crowns on my upper front teeth, and they are turning yellow. I’m not a smoker, soda or coffee drinker, or a sugar addict. Although the crowns were beautiful when I received them, they now look like I forgot to brush my teeth this morning. I’m afraid to return to the dentist who placed my crowns. Before I make an appointment with anyone, will you please give me some ideas about what’s causing the problem and how it can be fixed? Am I correct that this isn’t something that teeth bleaching gel won’t help? Thanks – Tana from Bear, DE

Tana,

Teeth whitening won’t brighten yellow porcelain crowns

As you realize, your crowns should not be turning yellow. Porcelain is stain-resistant, so if even you were a smoker or coffee drinker, your crowns wouldn’t attract stains. And porcelain is colorfast so the issue cannot be resolved with teeth bleaching—whether it’s take-home or in-office treatment.

What Causes Porcelain Crowns to Turn Yellow?

Three possible causes include:

1. Damage during dental cleaning – If you’ve had a dental cleaning since you received your crowns, the hygienist who cleaned your teeth could have damaged the service with a power cleaning instrument, such as a Prophy Jet. This tool cleans your teeth with blasts of sodium bicarbonate, but this power cleaning damages the glaze on porcelain veneers and crowns. Acidulated fluoride treatment is another possible culprit that chemically etches away the glaze on porcelain.

2. Damaged glaze when crowns were placed – If your dentist adjusted the front surfaces of your crowns while setting them, he or she might have damaged with glaze. Or maybe the laboratory that made the crowns didn’t glaze them properly.

3. Crowns are not porcelain – It sounds outrageous, but sometimes patients think they received porcelain crowns but received composite instead. If a dentist misrepresents treatment to make you believe you have porcelain crowns when you don’t, you have the leverage to get the dentist to pay for the correction. If your dentist falsely advertised your cosmetic work as one treatment—but you received another—you can threaten to notify the state dental board about the issue.

What’s Next?

We recommend that you schedule an appointment with an accredited cosmetic dentist for a second opinion. The dentist will examine your dental crowns, identify what’s causing the discoloration, and explain your options for regaining a white smile.

Michael Szarek, DMD, an accredited cosmetic dentist in Lowell, MA, sponsors this post.

What Should You Do If the Only Thing That Relieves Your Toothache Is Cold Water?

Posted on December 12, 2019 by AllSmiles.

I have four fillings on molar teeth that I received 10-12 years old. I didn’t get them all at once, though. Two of them don’t bother me at all, but one of them is loose, and another tooth throbs on occasion. When the pain gets severe, I hold water in my mouth to get some relief. It’s almost as if the water pressure is soothing. Last week I started using a tooth whitening kit that I bought online. I wanted to whiten my teeth before I got the silver fillings replaced with white ones. Today, the pain in the throbbing tooth got stronger and more persistent. Am I going to have to get the fillings replaced before I finish whitening my teeth? I haven’t selected a dentist yet! Thanks. Carver

Carver,

Discontinue teeth whitening if you have a lingering toothache

You should discontinue whitening your teeth. The symptoms in your throbbing tooth indicate that the tooth pulp is dying, and you’ll need a root canal treatment for it. You also need to find a dentist to replace the loose filling before that tooth dies.

Why Does Cold Water Relieve Your Toothache?

When a patient tells us that cold water relieves a toothache, there is no doubt that the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth) is gangrenous and has almost died. Also, when your tooth is sensitive to heat, the pulp is dying.

When decay gets beneath a filling, it spreads until it infects the tooth pulp.
The pulp becomes gangrenous, gives off gases, inflames, increases pressure inside the tooth, and causes a toothache.
If you cool your tooth with water, the swelling decreases somewhat and eases the pain.
There isn’t enough room in your tooth for swelling and infection, so if left untreated, the pulp will die.

Treating the Tooth

You’ll feel relief from the pressure tooth when your dentist creates an opening for root canal treatment. Only root canal treatment will remove the infected pulp. Your dentist will clean the tooth deep into the roots, use dental material to fill it, seal it, and protect it with a dental crown.

Teeth whitening gel will irritate your teeth and cause more inflammation and pain. After your dentist treats the issues with the infected tooth and the loose filling, you can speak with him or her about your goals for whiter teeth.

Search online for an experienced dentist and schedule an appointment right away. If you’ve delayed getting treatment because you’re anxious about dental visits, look for a gentle dentist who will help you relax.

Lowell, MA, cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek sponsors this post.