Fear of whitening teeth and fixing a chipped tooth.

[Anna8]

Hi All, I have spent about a weak worrying and dreading the outcome of fixing my chipped tooth and the whitening process. I am in dire need of some emotional support and compassion about my future experience at the dentist. I dont like to go to dentist and I have been very lucky for some time with cavities. I only go when I need to clean my teeth or a cavity is really really bad. The dentist has been telling me for over five years now to take a small wisdom tooth out (my only one) and he warned me of what could happen if I wait too long, but I just keep putting it off because of fear of pulling it out and for some reason it has not bothered me over the years. But now my luck ran out and I recently had a horrible experience where I found my tooth chipped a little in front and all the drama that needs to take place before I have it fixed. So I am curious if anybody can help me out if they have ever experienced repairing a chipped tooth and whitening teeth using the trays from the dentist. My teeth are a haze yellow but not too horribly yellow. I chipped my bottom top of my tooth in the front and it also splintered slightly downward in the back corner of my tooth but not thru to the front by eating something awhile ago and the dentist said it can be fixed with a little composite bonding. I want to whiten my teeth first so I had the dentist make me molds of my teeth to trays and bought their bleach kit with drops. My fear is that I have been reading on the interent that some of the white spots that show up after you start whitening will not ever go away. I dont see any decalcificaiton on my teeth and dentist didnt mention he saw anything strange so I assume I have a clean bill. The dentist says these white spots will dissapear after a few days as the tooth gets dehydrated at first. Has anybody had some or all these white spots stay permanent? Also, do you think its a good idea to whiten them first so the composite (which will yellow over time) and my teeth will age and yellow over time together? How long does teeth take to yellow over time if you smoke sparingly on the weekends and drink one to two cups of coffee day? Like five years or in a few months? I hate to keep changing the filling every so often cuz the colors dont match up. Any way to have the composite professionally cleaned instead of replacing it? And how does the dentist get such a perfect match in color and shape? And does the composite last for 15 years if well maintained? I think I am fearing this outcome more than ordinary people and I am exhausted from the emotional attachment and drain from all of this. I dread finding out if the bleach leaves permanent spots and especially when the dentist has to repair the tooth. Thank you so much, and I appreciate anybody's kind help.

 

[brit]

Cosmetic Dentistry - what's it all about?

Find out about the difference between cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry, and whether you should consider cosmetic dental procedures.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Read this link and then ask yourself if you really want them whitened. You could have a professional clean to find out your natural whiteness and then repair the chip to match that. Whitening is a long-term commitment and expense, you don't just do it once.

 

[drhirst]

Hi Anna8,
When you start whitening, existing white spots tend to become more apparent but they will always fade back to their original colour after whitening. It cannot create new white spots. The thing about whitening is it has to be maintained or the teeth will return to their original colour over a couple of years of so. So, if your teeth are only slightly yellow you need to consider whether you want to be whitening every few years forever!
Composite fillings start to discolour after about six or seven years. The material itself discolours but also increasing surface roughness picks up stains from food and smoking. Sometimes polishing the surface helps a little but on the whole the only cure is to replace the filling.
The dentist has various shades of composite can match these to your tooth. If he is artistic he may blend shades and transparencies to get a natural appearance.
One point I would add is there is a lot of concern about smoking while using whitening trays. The combination of hydrogen peroxide with smoke may increase the risk of cancer.
The really good news is that cosmetic bonding involves little drilling and you should find the experience not to bad at all.
I hope this helps a little.

Lincoln