I’ve had dental bonding on eight teeth for about ten years. They’re starting to pick up stains. I’ve heard Supersmile toothpaste is good at removing stains. Will that help with my situation or do I need to replace them?

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

Supersmile does a great job removing surface stains. It does it with an ingredient called Calprox, which dissolves the protein pellicles on your teeth. Stains attach to the pellicles and when they are dissolved the stains follow with it. One thing to be aware of is this works on surface stains only.

You mentioned your dental bonding is about ten years old. That is a long lifespan for bonding. My guess is they’ve been slowly picking up stains for a while. If those stains have become internal, there is nothing that will help. Even professional teeth whitening will only whiten natural tooth structure.

You can try the Supersmile toothpaste. I recommend it to anyone with any type of cosmetic work anyway because it does a wonderful job of keeping them bright without damaging the glazing. If that doesn’t work, then it means the stains are now internal and it is time to replace your bonding.

A More Permanent Solution for Your Smile Makeover

Dental Bonding is a great solution for small amounts of cosmetic work, such as chipped teeth or tooth gaps. It sounds like you were using them for a smile makeover. That’s fine, but you will get a significantly better, more permanent smile makeover with porcelain veneers.

There is one important factor in that. You will need an expert cosmetic dentist. Smile makeovers are an art form which are not taught in dental school. Because of that, you’ll want a dentist who invested a great deal of time or training in learning the art.

It is hard for patients to know which dentists have done this and which haven’t. There isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. Because of that, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry began an accreditation program. Dentists who obtain AACD accreditation are in the top 1% of artistic dentists in the country. They can give you a stunning smile.

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