This Dental Bonding Looks Terrible

Posted by writeradmin

I need some advice. My 13 year old daughter had a small bike accident. It took out most of the the center  and bottom of her front teeth out. I took her in to see her pediatric dentist. He didn’t feel there was any permanent damage done to the roots, etc. However, we did need a cosmetic repair. His suggestion was dental bonding. We went ahead with it but now I think it was a mistake. It looks absolutely awful. It’s lumpy, discolored (at least in matching the rest of her teeth), and the teeth are too short. The kids are being horribly mean to her and my daughter doesn’t want to go back to school. I can’t say I blame her. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere if my teeth looked like that either. What treatment should we have gotten? I called the dentist and explained what is going on and he said the only other option is to get dental crowns. I’m not feeling good about that option either.

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

As you can see from the images directly above, dental bonding can be done beautifully. Whatever you do, do NOT get dental crowns put on her front teeth. First, the pulp of her tooth is still close to the surface at her age and that type of procedure could kill the pulp. Second, her tooth is still erupting a bit. As it does, the crown will separate from the gumline making it obvious that she has a false tooth. Finally, your dentist is not a skilled cosmetic dentist and it will end up looking fake.

Dental Bonding was actually the right treatment. Your dentist just did not have the skills needed to pull this off. Cosmetic Dentistry is not adequately taught in dental school. A dentist really needs post-doctoral training in order to learn the skills and develop the artistry necessary to do it well. Not only that, dental bonding is one of the more advanced procedures because it has to be done freehand. This is especially true when you have to do a large area of the tooth, the way your daughter’s case ended up.

This is such a tricky thing to do, it is one of the cases required for a dentist to receive accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). In fact, my suggestion is that you take your daughter to see an AACD accredited dentist to have this repaired. They will be able to give your daughter a gorgeous smile. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the country. No one will make fun of her after that.

This blog is brought to you by Naples, FL Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Long.