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Supersmile for porcelain crowns

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Hello: Although your website reassures that Supersmile is effective for veneers, I am unclear if the toothpaste also safely whitens porcelain crowns. Please clarify. Thank you very much.
– Thomas from California

Thomas,
Yes, Supersmile toothpaste is perfectly safe for any cosmetic dental work. It was specifically made to help in the maintenance of cosmetic dental work, which would include direct bonding, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, and bridges. It is formulated to keep all of it at its maximum brightness, and to be safe. I emphasize it for porcelain veneer maintenance because porcelain veneers are the most vulnerable. But I think it’s a worthwhile investment for the maintenance of any cosmetic dental work, especially expensive work.
Dr. Hall

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About David A. Hall

Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.

Confused about the use of ultrasonic toothbrushes on bonding and porcelain veneers

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I’m confused. Your site says not to use ultrasonic cleaning devices for bonded teeth, yet you’re selling an ultrasonic toothbrush. Please respond accurately with factual information – does ultrasonic toothbrushes cause any harm to dental restoration – not just abrasion, but do the vibration cause a loosening of the bond (over time or otherwise). Please explain.
– Helen from Florida

Helen,
Thanks for your question. I looked on the website to see where this confusion might be coming from, and I see where it is put in a fuzzy way and confusing. I have gone back to clarify a couple of the pages and hopefully that will help.

When I tell people not to let a dental hygienist use ultrasonic cleaning devices on their bonded teeth, I am referring to equipment like the Cavitron that has a metal tip that vibrates at ultrasonic speeds. This metal tip can nick the margins of bonding and also of porcelain veneers. In several places on the site I reference these as ultrasonic scalers, but in one place I call them ultrasonic cleaning devices. That’s too broad a term, and I’ve corrected that instance to make it clear I am talking about these ultrasonic scalers.

There are two differences in trying to apply this concept to toothbrushes. The first is that the bristles of these electric toothbrushes are soft and so are incapable of nicking anything solid like dental bonding or porcelain veneers. Rather, they clean and polish, which is a beneficial result. And the second is that the toothbrushes are almost always “sonic” toothbrushes, not “ultrasonic”, which means that they vibrate at slower sonic speeds, which also makes them more gentle.

And there is a dentist who has posted something on the Internet claiming that sonic toothbrushes loosen dental bonding. However, this is without any factual basis. He is the only one saying this, and, in fact, the University of Missouri at Kansas City did a study they published in 1998 which proves that this is a fallacy. They brushed teeth for two years with a sonic toothbrush and could not find any weakening of bond strength. This confirms my own observations.

And don’t misinterpret this to be a condemnation of ultrasonic scalers in the hands of a skilled dental hygienist. While they can be misused and can nick the root surfaces of teeth, when used properly they are a great aid and produce a superior result. My dental hygienist uses this every time I come in for a cleaning, and it leaves my tooth surfaces smooth and spotless.

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About David A. Hall

Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.

Using a toothpaste with baking soda on porcelain veneers

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One question I have about the Supersmile toothpaste is about the baking soda. I saw where someone else had also asked you about that. There is conflicting info on the web about whether you should use baking soda or not on veneers due to scratching.

You mention that there is no risk of that with the Supersmile. What makes it safe to use even though it has the baking soda? Is it just small amounts of the baking soda? Right now I’m just using Colgate total but would like to order the Supersmile to prevent stains from forming.

I’m torn on what to do. My cosmetic dentist doesn’t seem to be familiar with Supersmile but advises against using anything with baking soda. It seems to be a great product and you have listed a lot of other cosmetic dentist’s recommendations about it. Just want to make sure I make the right decision.

– Monica from Maryland

Monica,

This is one of the problems with the Internet – you get all kinds of information, good and bad.

I followed the links you provided, and tracked down some of their sources. There is not really a conflict here. They are quoting sources saying that straight baking soda is abrasive. That is true. But these sources are also saying that toothpastes that contain baking soda are fine. The one comment that said not to use toothpaste with baking soda on porcelain veneers was citing the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, but I looked at that original article and it said nothing about baking soda.

With one exception – this one dentist from Nebraska who has tips for taking care of veneers:

On his CARE TIPS list, he tells you to use a toothpaste with baking soda: “Use non-abrasive toothpaste or toothpaste with baking soda.”
But on his DO NOT list he says not to use a toothpaste with baking soda: Do NOT use abrasive tooth pastes such as ones with baking soda or “smoker’s” toothpaste.

So his information is contradictory. This is a case of someone with a website who either isn’t an expert or hasn’t proofread the content carefully enough.

Straight baking soda, in powder form, is abrasive. However, when the baking soda is dissolved in a toothpaste, it is no longer abrasive. One of the benefits of baking soda is that it is a buffer that fights the acids created by decay-producing bacteria.

Go with the experts. You have all these expert cosmetic dentists recommending Supersmile. Here’s the complete list of Supersmile testimonials. They don’t mention it, but Drs. Jeff Morley, George Freedman, and Jeff Golub-Evans are all past presidents of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. And then, as you can see, they also quote me. You may want to print that out and show it to your dentist and bring him or her up to speed on this.

Dr. Hall

We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.

About David A. Hall

Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.

A sonic toothbrush is fine for porcelain veneers.

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I’ve read that sonic toothbrushes should be avoided on veneers as the vibrations could affect the bond between the veneer and the natural tooth. Is this true? Do you think and electric brush without sonic technology is better for veneers?
– mari

Marilyn,
That is not true, that a sonic toothbrush will weaken the bond of porcelain veneers or make them loose.

I looked on the Internet to see where you might have found this erroneous information. I found a website of a dentist in Nebraska who is giving that advice about caring for your porcelain veneers – but my guess it that comes from his own reasoning, because the research does not substantiate that.

The University of Missouri at Kansas City did a study that was published in 1998 where they brushed teeth with porcelain veneers on them for two years with a sonic toothbrush and found that there was no loss of bond strength.

The Sonicare toothbrush is an excellent toothbrush, great at removing plaque. Oral B also makes an excellent sonic toothbrush, as does Supersmile. Any one of them is fine for use with porcelain veneers. Click here to read our page on sonic toothbrushes.

Dr. Hall

Read more about the post-operative care of porcelain veneers.

About David A. Hall

Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.

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