I need some advice. My eleven-year-old daughter fell in such a way that it knocked a giant portion of the middle of her two front teeth out. She has some on the sides and top and that is it. Our dentist said the best solution would be to fill in the empty space with dental bonding. We agreed, but in all honesty, it looks awful. Her two front teeth are now lumpy looking and the color doesn’t exactly match the remainder of her natural teeth. This is a very tricky age for kids and she has been in tears since we returned. I don’t know what to do. Can this be fixed? Did he need to do a different procedure?

Avalon

Dear Avalon,

While your dentist was correct about the type of repair that would be the best solution, he doesn’t appear to have the cosmetic training necessary to do the actual work. Cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. As such, any general dentist can “do” cosmetic work, but very few of them have the actual training necessary to do it right.

Dental bonding is particularly difficult because it has to be done freehand. It also requires special materials in order to match the colors exactly to the remaining tooth structure. On top of that, your daughter’s type of repair is more difficult than most. It’s even on the list of cases dentists have to show proficiency and artistry in for them to pass the AACD Accreditation Exam, which is the one “guarantee”  for knowing that you have an expert cosmetic dentist.

My suggestion is you ask for a refund from your dentist. It doesn’t sound like he even came close to doing this in an acceptable fashion. Then, look for an AACD accredited dentist in your area. They will make certain your daughter has gorgeous front teeth as she returns to school.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.