Monthly Archives: December 2011

Porcelain Veneers

My veneers are too white

About a year ago, I had two porcelain veneers placed on my front teeth. I was in a car accident that messed up my smile. My dentist glued on the veneers without letting me see what they looked like up against my other teeth. After they were on I noticed they were significantly whiter than my other teeth. I was concerned about that, but he told me the color would fade down to my other teeth after a while. Well, as you can see it has been a year and now I’m writing to you because they haven’t faded. What should I do?

Becky W.- Chicago

Becky,

I’m afraid your dentist was mistaken. Porcelain veneers will not fade over time. I’m not sure why your dentist told you that. You can try to get your dentist to cover the cost of repairs. With that, you have two options:

1. If all your other teeth are your natural teeth, with no veneers or crowns, you can have your teeth whitened to match your veneers.

2. You can have them replaced. Make sure your dentist is truly qualified to get the veneers right. You live in the Chicago area, so there are a few really good cosmetic dentists recommended on the site mynewsmile.com. This site is run by an accredited cosmetic dentist. He recommends highly skilled cosmetic dentists in each state. Dr. Burba is recommended on his site, but before that happened, he had to prove his credentials and show photos of his work to ensure he had the skill to be a recommended dentist.

You might be interested in this link on a beautiful smile guarantee that shows how Dr. Burba guarantees his patients leave with a smile they love.

This blog is brought to you by Boston Cosmetic dentist Dr. Burba.

 

Pediatric Dentistry

Pulpotomy

Can you tell me what a pulpotomy treatment is for children?

Kathy B.- Phoenix, AZ

Kathy,

The easiest way to describe this would be to call it a root canal shortcut for children’s teeth. It is done on an infected baby tooth to remove the infection. To do this, most of the baby tooth pulp is removed (all the way down to the root). Then, inside the roots is treated with a disinfectant. The tooth is then sealed and covered with a crown, generally stainless steal.

It is generally done on molars, so they can remain in the jaw, holding space for the permanent premolars. There is another option, if the tooth is just too infected. You could have the tooth removed, and then put in a space maintainer, to hold its place.

This blog is brought to you by Boston Pediatric Dentist Dr. Randall Burba.