My crown didn’t whiten

I don’t understand what happend. I spent a few hundred dollars to whiten my teeth, but the crown, right in the front of my smile, didn’t whiten at all. Now my smile looks ridiculous. How do I fix this?

Kathryn C. – New Jersey

Kathryn,

I’m a little frustratrated with your dentist. Even those with the most elementary skill in cosmetic dentistry know that dental work, such as dental crowns, will not whiten with teeth whitening.

The only way to fix this now is to have your crown re-done.  When you do that, make sure you use a different dentist. You’ll also want to make sure he gives you all porcelain crowns.

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Did my hygienist ruin my porcelain veneers?

Porcelain veneers are excellent restorations. We can change the color, shape, size, and alignment of the teeth with this technique. It is a fast and long-lasting way to accomplish a “smile makeover.” According to this Dentist In Pflugerville, one of its advantages is the fact that you do minimal preparation to the teeth.

I went to my general dentist after getting porcelain veneers. They were gorgeous, but a week or two after the appointment they started picking up stains. I haven’t done anything different and I’m wondering if something could have happened at my dental appointment to damage them?
Manny L. – Portland, OR

Manny,

It is possible that your hygienist damged your porcelain veneers during the cleaning process. If they used power polishing, such as a prophy jet. The hygienist won’t even know that the they were damaged, because it your teeth will look fine at the end of the appointment. Unfortunately, the glaze will be completely removed. That is why you started picking up stains.

There are other things that can damage veneers in an appointment as well. Ultrasonic scalers and heavy manual scalers can chip the veneers. Pumice can scratch the veneers.

It sounds like you may have gone to a dental hygienist who is unfamilar with cosmetic work.

It’s possible to restore the shine to your veneers using diamond grit polishers. However, this is a very advanced technique. Your average dentist won’t be familiar with it. I would go back to your cosmetic dentist and ask him what he thinks.

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