I have dental bonding and it has recently begun to pick up stains. I’ve been told that Supersmile Toothpaste takes stains off of dental work. Will it help with my dental bonding? If so, how long will it take to work? Would it be faster for me to just do teeth whitening?
Laura
Dear Laura,
I am actually going to answer your very last question first. Teeth whitening will not work on dental bonding. In fact, it only works on natural tooth structure. So that will not be a solution. As for removing the stains on your dental bonding, how you proceed will depend on what type of staining you have. If it is surface stains, then Supersmile toothpaste is the ideal solution. Unlike other whitening toothpaste, it does not use abrasives to whiten your teeth, which damages the surface of your bonding causing it to become stained. Instead, Supersmile has an active ingredient called Calprox. This enzymatically dissolves the protein pellicle layer on your teeth taking the stains with it.
There are other types of stains that can happen to dental bonding. One is when the polish is removed due to damage or a dental hygienist who hasn’t been trained in cleaning cosmetic work. A power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride can remove the polish and your bonding will begin to pick up stains. If that is caught quick enough, your dentist can repolish your bonding. However, if the polish is off for too long, the stains will start to absorb into your bonding. Nothing can repair that. Instead, you will need to have the bonding re-done.
I would start with the Supersmile to see if the stains are surface only and go from there. Worst case scenario, you have a great toothpaste that can take care of both your bonded and non-bonded teeth.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville, IL Dentist Dr. David Potts.