{"id":94,"date":"2007-08-11T20:02:15","date_gmt":"2007-08-12T03:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mynewsmile.com\/blog\/?p=94"},"modified":"2016-01-07T16:55:24","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T23:55:24","slug":"a-question-about-my-white-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mynewsmile.com\/blog\/a-question-about-my-white-spots\/","title":{"rendered":"A question about my white spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Hall,
\nWhen I was a child and my permanent teeth were forming, opaque white spots<\/a> developed on the tips of my teeth. In my teen years, I had braces<\/a> to correct the placement of my teeth which I believe contributed to the white spots on the front two teeth. My longtime family dentist has assured me that my teeth are healthy and she advised that since I am young (28) and my teeth are in good condition, I should not try to “fix what isn’t broken.” However, the white spots<\/a> make me self-conscious about my smile and I have been researching whitening treatments and\/or veneers and Lumineers<\/a>. My question is: Would tooth whitening<\/a> treatments such as Crest Whitestrips<\/a> or in-office treatments like Zoom whitening<\/a>\u00a0make the white spots more noticeable, since they may be lightened more than the surrounding (unmarked) teeth? Or are porcelain veneers<\/a> a better choice in this case?
\n– Lisa in Maryland<\/p>\n

Lisa,
\nOh, dentists, you have to love them. Your dentist is so typical. It appears to me that she is one of these dentists who chose dentistry because she\u00a0likes to fix things and is thoroughly steeped in this “fix it” mentality. “Just leave it alone–it looks fine!” That’s what so many dentists think, and the honest ones say it. I admire her honesty. And she clearly cares about you. But don’t ask her to be the one to take care of these white spots.<\/p>\n

Whitening treatments won’t help. When you have spots on your teeth, whitening can make them worse, actually. So you are smart to have thought that through. Some dentists would prescribe whitening treatments for you.<\/p>\n

Get a real cosmetic dentist. Go to our list of recommended cosmetic dentists<\/a>. If your spots aren’t too large, tooth bonding<\/a> could be the answer to your situation. If not, a couple of porcelain veneers would cover it up. I couldn’t tell you for sure without seeing your case. You could whiten first and then fix the spots. But if you’re self-conscious, then you should do something. It would be simple, durable. But please go to an expert cosmetic dentist. Don’t be influenced by advertising–any dentist can claim to be a cosmetic dentist, and some of them do that because these are very profitable procedures, but they aren’t artists and really don’t have the extensive training in color management, etc. that they need to do beautiful work.<\/p>\n

Then go back to your wonderful, honest, caring, regular general dentist.<\/p>\n

I hope this is helpful.
\n– Dr. Hall<\/p>\n

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