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Free teeth whitening kit discolored my dental bonding

I won a free teeth whitening kit. I thought it was a good prize for answering some survey questions because I’ve had whitening in the past, and it was pretty expensive.  I followed the directions and used the whitening for 2 weeks. I have bonding on 3 teeth and the whitening discolored the bonding. So now you can tell that there is bonding on those teeth. I’m wondering if it was the brand of whitening that caused this problem. Can a dentist lighten the bonding or will it have to be redone now? Thanks. Emily

Emily – Free teeth whitening is safe when it’s offered by your dentist. Supervision from your dentist allows him or her to do the following:

  • Examine your natural teeth and any restorative work on them to determine if bleaching gel will help or harm your teeth
  • Monitor the progress of teeth whitening treatment
  • Make adjustments in the strength of the bleaching gel, or in the treatment time needed

Why Teeth Whitening Won’t Brighten Bonding

Although bleaching your teeth can have dramatic results, it won’t whiten your bonding. Here’s why:

  • Unlike natural teeth, dental bonding is nonporous.
  • Bleaching gel is designed to penetrate pores, but that’s not possible with bonding.
  • As your natural teeth get whiter, your dental bonding won’t change. Whiter teeth make bonding look as if it’s getting darker.

As bonding ages, it attracts stains. A cosmetic dentist can replace the bonding with a color and translucence that matches your natural teeth.

Your cosmetic dentist will:

  • Choose dental composite that matches your whitened teeth
  • Use dental tools to roughen the old bonding
  • Apply and shape the new composite
  • Cure the composite with a special light
  • Further shape and polish the bonding

It’s best to wait until you’ve finished your whitening treatment before having your dental bonding replaced. It ensures the bonding will match your whitened teeth. But rather than use free teeth whitening with questionable ingredients, only use whitening gel you receive from your dentist or that is approved by your dentist. If the free bleaching gel damages your teeth, the cost of restoring them will be greater than the cost of getting whitening treatments from your dentist.

This post is sponsored by Plano female dentist Dr. Miranda Lacy.