Dentist Wants to Keep Giving Me Partials
I have always had problems with my teeth. They get chipped, discolored, decayed. It’s a constant battle. My dentist keeps just removing them and giving me partials. I’m frustrated because I’m only in my late twenties. He insists the teeth can’t be saved and the best thing he can do for me is to replace them with partials. Isn’t there at least something more permanent for fake teeth? I thought at this day and age we would get past things like dentures.
Florence
Dear Florence,
There are definitely options for you to have a more permanent, fixed tooth replacement. Two of the best are a dental implant and a dental bridge. My guess is that your dentist is not comfortable doing these procedures so he didn’t bring them up. Removable partial dentures are his comfort zone.
However, don’t push him into doing a procedure he isn’t comfortable with. While almost any dentist should be able to do a bridge, Implants are an advanced dental procedure when, if done incorrectly, can lead to serious problems.
The first thing I recommend you do is get a second opinion about the save-ability of your teeth. Every dentist has a varying degree of interest in saving natural tooth structure. Some will go above and beyond to keep your teeth for you. Others prefer just to remove them. This means while one dentist says a tooth can’t be saved, another might be able to restore it to health.
If they can’t be saved, a dental implant is the next best thing to your own tooth. As I mentioned before, it will be important that you get a dentist who knows how to that procedure. Dental school will not be enough. You will want someone who has great post-doctoral training.
This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Moline, Dr. Thomas Goebel.
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Can I Whiten My Porcelain Veneers?
I have porcelain veneers. I’ve had loved them but they are getting coffee stains on them. My dentist told me that there was no way to whiten them after they were made, but is there a way to get them as white as they were at the beginning?
Laslo
Dear Laslo,
I’m glad you wrote. Teeth whitening will not work on anything but natural tooth structure. The problem is more complicated than that anyway.
Porcelain veneers have a glaze on them which is very stain resistant. In fact, they are more stain resistant than even your natural tooth enamel. If it is picking up stains, then that means the glaze has been damaged somehow. There are a couple of ways that can happen.
First, if you use an abrasive toothpaste, like a whitening toothpaste, it will scratch the glazing on both your porcelain veneers as well as your natural teeth, which will cause your teeth to begin picking up stains.
A second option is if the hygienist in your dental office damaged them. This can happen if they used something like a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride. If the stains started happening shortly after a checkup and cleaning, then that would be my first guess.
If the glaze has been damaged, then a diamond polishing kit can get them to shine again. The other option is to replace them. If your dentist’s office damaged them, then you may be able to get them to pay for the replacement. However, it may be tricky to prove it was them.
Once your porcelain veneers are in good shape again, you can help keep surface stains off of them by using Supersmile Toothpaste. This is specifically designed to be used with cosmetic dental work. It safely removes stains with a chemical compound instead of abrasives.
I hope this helps. This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Moline Dr. Thomas Goebel.