My daughter recently had her braces removed. There were white spots on her teeth that she was embarrassed about. Our dentist just got a Zoom Whitening thing and suggested we whiten her teeth with that because it would only take one appointment. We liked the idea of a quick fix and so agreed. Somehow, her teeth look worse. Did the dentist do something wrong?

Angie

Dear Angie,

If you mean did your dentist do the procedure wrong, then probably not. The only thing she did wrong is suggesting the wrong procedure. Zoom Whitening is a very effective teeth whitening method, however, it whitens the teeth evenly. So while the structure surrounding the white spots do get whiter, so do the spots themselves. This will make the teeth look worse, as your daughter experienced.

Using at-home whitening, such as with the teeth bleaching trays that are pictured above, won’t help either. Your daughter’s teeth aren’t stained. What she’s facing is decalcification. This is the result of the area around her braces not getting thoroughly cleaned enough. This is a common situation with braces. Those metal wires and brackets are tough to get around.

There are a couple of things you can try. The first is to purchase some tooth mousse. This is designed to help re-calcify those areas. If that doesn’t work, your next option is to see an expert cosmetic dentist and have them do dental bonding on the areas. This is not a procedure you want your dentist to do. It is much more advanced than teeth whitening and she didn’t have an understanding of even the basics. You’ll need to find an expert cosmetic dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.
We offer Holistic Dentistry.