I had a gap at the top of my gums, between my teeth. The empty space looked like tiny black triangles. My dentist told me dental bonding was the solution for that and assured me it would blend perfectly naturally. It did not. Instead, it looked like he put some caulking between my teeth. I expressed how I felt about it and he responded that it was just the harsh lighting in his office. It wasn’t. When I got back to my home, which had low light, it still looked the same. That night, when I was brushing and flossing, I realized that now I couldn’t floss between those teeth. I’m very concerned about this. Is there a way to fix this?
Bernie
Dear Bernie,
When dental bonding is done well, it will blend seamlessly. You would also be able to floss between your teeth. The fact that you cannot floss is a big issue. This area will become a magnet for trapped food and bacteria leading to decay. In a weird, fortuitous way, though, this benefits you. Without this issue, you would not have had any recourse.
Believe it or not, because cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty, the standard of care is whether or not it is functional, not whether or not it is beautiful. In that case, you would have been stuck with bathroom caulk for your bonding. However, because his repair is not functional, you can ask for your money back to have this redone by a dentist who has the cosmetic skills to do it well.
This type of repair is more challenging than your typical dental bonding case. The area at that part of your gums can be dark, which means there needs to be subtle coloring differences in the bonding that goes in this area. I would think only the top cosmetic dentists can do this correctly.
Once you get your refund, my suggestion is that you look for an AACD accredited dentist to close your black triangles. They are the dentists with the skill and training to pull this off in a way that looks both beautiful and natural.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.
