Treatment For Long Standing Stained Teeth
When it is too late for preventative dental care.
We regularly write blogs about how to have a whiter smile and many of these relate to things that you can do to prevent staining and discolouration. A fair number of people who read these though may already have teeth that are badly stained and when it is too late to really stop this from happening. A common situation relating to this could be where someone has stopped smoking after many years of doing so. Almost inevitably, their teeth will already be badly discoloured and stained. Having now quit, they are probably wondering what they can do to improve the way that their teeth look.
While it makes sense not to do anything that will make the situation worse; for most, it is probably as bad as it is likely to get. When this stage is reached, cosmetic dentistry will be required to make any significant improvement to the colour of their teeth. So what can our Ipswich dentists do to help?
First of all….
Our advice is don’t waste your money on teeth whitening toothpastes. These have a minimal amount of the active whitening ingredient in them and will achieve very limited results. They may be beneficial for someone with white teeth who wants to try to maintain the whiteness longer, but they won’t really touch badly stained teeth.
The same applies with a scale and polish procedure although some small improvement in the colour of your teeth might be seen, but probably not very much. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have this done though. Indeed, if you have smoked, it is even more essential that you do see our dental hygienist for a scale and polish procedure. Smoking is a major cause of gum disease and we highly recommend that you make an appointment with our Foxhall Dental Practice hygienist as soon as you can.
Teeth whitening
The first step for most people looking to have whiter teeth is to have a tooth whitening procedure. This is a very successful treatment for many, but if your teeth are really badly stained, it is unlikely you will get the results that you want. The fact that it is both non-invasive and affordable though, means that you could try it first if you wish before moving on to the next option if not happy with the results. A conversation with a cosmetic dentist during your initial consultation with us will guide you towards an informed decision about this. Generally speaking, a teeth whitening procedure benefits those with mild to moderate discolouration. Yours might be too far gone to benefit sufficiently from this treatment.
Porcelain dental veneers
The final option to have a more attractive and whiter smile as an ex smoker, or anyone with heavily stained teeth, is to have dental veneers fitted. These can be made from a composite material but for a longer lasting and consistent whiteness, porcelain veneers are recommended.
The main reason that these work well on badly stained teeth is that they don’t attempt to whiten your current tooth enamel, but replace it entirely, giving you a brand new smile. This does require some invasive dentistry but the results are excellent and can last you for around ten years before the veneers need to be replaced.
You will need to have an oral health check before any veneers are fitted and it is important to treat any tooth decay or gum disease etc before we start the treatment.
In most cases, the patient will receive a local anaesthetic to allow for a more comfortable procedure. Once this has taken effect, a fine layer of the stained tooth enamel will be removed or ‘shaved away’ with a dental bur. Once this has been done, impressions will be taken of the treated teeth. These are then sent to a dedicated laboratory where the veneers will be produced. During this period of around a week or so, you will be fitted with temporary veneers to protect your teeth.
Once your veneers are ready, you will be recalled to our Ipswich dental practice to have them fitted. First of all, we will detach the temporary veneers and clean any residual adhesive from the teeth. New adhesive will then be applied and the veneers attached to your teeth. Any excessive adhesive will then be cleaned away and the veneers shaped and polished to leave you with a great looking smile. This is almost certainly going to be the best way to restore badly stained teeth and provides a long lasting option too.
We understand that you might have further questions about this procedure or perhaps believe that your teeth are ‘too far gone’ for any improvements. If either of these things apply to you, why not give us a call and arrange a consultation with us to discuss this further. If you would like to arrange yours today, please give the Foxhall Dental Practice a call on 01473 258396. We look forward to helping you gain the new smile you want and deserve.