Cosmetic dentistry information for everyone.

Dr. Hurley,

My two front teeth have were bonded about 13 years ago, and now they should be replaced. And unfortunately I don’t have the money to do this right now. From what I understand, bleaching doesn’t change color to bonding. But can I at least bleach the bonding back to its original color, and will white strips help with this?
- Anna from Washington State

Anna,

Sorry, but teeth bleaching will not get your dental bonding any whiter.

It will just make it look worse. Reason being, it will whiten your natural teeth even more, and it won’t lighten the bonding.

Polishing can the bonded teeth can help though. If the bonded teeth are discolored from external, and not internal stains, meaning, then it is possible that the discoloration could be polished away by and experienced cosmetic dentist. Otherwise, you would need to replace the bonding.

If money is tight, then you should wait to do this. Don’t bargain shop for cosmetic dentistry, especially when it comes to dental bonding. This procedure requires artistic talent to make your teeth look right. Most dentists don’t even have the materials or talent to do this correctly.

Read more about this on my website.