How will a dentist treat these stains/enamel loss?

[HenryL]

Last appointment was about two years ago and X Ray technician said congratulations you don’t have any cavities. The cleaning technician spent almost the full hour cleaning the inside of my front four bottom teeth that had about twenty years of tobacco and coffee staining. She said she could probably get most of the staining removed but would take at least a few more appointments. After the dentist came in and checked my teeth she said the stains couldn’t be removed and said I needed to get bonding done on a bunch of the teeth. My teeth today are in about the same condition when I had the appointment two years ago. I have zero sensitivity or pain and there are no actual holes in my teeth. Obviously these stains look bad and affect my confidence and I want to get them cleaned/fixed one way or another. I have not been back to the dentist since then. I have watched many YouTube videos where I see patients with similar issues that seem to be removed with ultrasonic scaler or other techniques. Sorry for the long post. I guess my question is how can a dentist improve my teeth appearance?

 

[Gordon]

Doesn't look easy. Start off with ultrasonic cleaner, then something like an air polisher might get rid of enough of it to make things look a bit better. Maybe follow up with some targeted bleaching.
I'm not convinced that you don't have some decay around the necks of your back teeth, but it could just be heavy staining.

 

[HenryL]

Thank you for your reply. Should I just go to a general dentist or someone more specialized in treating these issues? I guess I am a bit worried that whichever dentist I end up seeing is going to want to do bonding and not try and remove the staining for whatever reason. I believe this is mostly staining because it does start to lighten somewhat when using certain toothpastes but eventually the stronger toothpastes start irritating my gums and teeth and I stop using them. Thanks again!

 

[Gordon]

A general dentist is perfectly capable of dealing with this. You might want to check if they have a hygienist though, especially one with the air polisher.
Be careful using smokers' toothpaste and similar, they're very abrasive and will cause damage if you use them for extended periods.