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Old Bonding Has Discolored. Can This Be Retouched Up Without Drilling?

asked 1 year ago by kitt in prior lake
Latest answer by Scott Young, DDS
Question viewed 1,845 times
Tags: discoloration, revision, whiten

I have anxiety and cannot be numbed up. For the most part my bonding is still very much in tact. I would just like it touched up if possible to whiten my front teeth. Is this possible to do without having to drill out the teeth and start over again? Any opinions on whiteners like Supersmile that are supposed to whiten these dental bonds?

20 answers to Old Bonding Has Discolored. Can This Be Retouched Up Without Drilling?

Retouching old bonding

While not the ideal way to do it, it is possible to add to old composite bonding material. If the areas to be retouched aren't too extensive, it's also possible to do it comfortably without being numb. I would want to roughen the old bonding surface first though, and that means using a drill at least a little. This is done to get the best bond of new material to old. Composite filling material (bonding) can often extend further and deeper than it appears, so changing large... more

Paul D. Kantor, DDS
Cleveland Cosmetic Dentist

SuperSmile Toothpaste is great for maintenance care.

Great question about re- bonding to old composite. It is always challenging. The main reason is that the old composites are saturated with saliva. To re-bond you need non contaminated enamel. Sometimes you can do a little spot and need a sand blaster to remove the outer layer. My experience has been that removing the old composite and providing a clean surface guarantees a great result that will last. I suggest... more

Wendy S. Spektor, DDS
Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist

You can touch up or repair old bonding.

Depending on the condition and amount of unsightly, damaged, or discolored bonding, you can repair most bonding if it had looked good to begin with. It normally can be done comfortably without the need for anesthesia. No tooth structure need be removed/ prepared in the process. If the problem is mainly discoloration some of the discolored surface material should be removed. Unless the discoloration is due to surface stains then... more

A. Vandiveer Strait, DDS
Wilton Cosmetic Dentist

Touching up old bonding

In certain cases bonding can be touched up or made to appear brighter by polishing out superficial stains. This is a non-invasive procedure that does not require anesthesia. If the staining is to deep or caused by tooth decay, it may be necessary to remove parts of the bonding or parts of the affected tooth. One consideration for you if anesthesia is a problem or phobia of needles is a concern, would be to look into some type of sedation where any necessary dental... more

Daniel Beninato, DDS
Omaha Cosmetic Dentist

Retouching discolored bonding

Older bonding materials were notorious for discoloring over time. Modern composite bonding materials are far more color stable and resist staining than the older tooth colored materials. If the material itself has discolored and there is no evidence of recurrent decay then simply abrading and polishing the surface of the filling may return the resoration to it's original appearance. If an x-ray reveals decay under or around the filling or a dark line or opening is seen... more

Marc Zive, DMD
Springfield Cosmetic Dentist

Repair Old Bonding With Sedation

In many cases it is possible to repair old bonding without numbing the patient, but slight "drilling" would be necessary. Your dentist can remove a small portion of the existing bonding making room for the new bonding. Though this process is many time not invasive, it seems that you may have slight dental anxiety. You may be a great candidate for oral sedation. You would take a pill the morning of the appointment (approximately one hour prior to the... more

Scott Young, DDS
Houston Cosmetic Dentist

www.woodlandsdentistry.com

Discolored old bonding

A few things to consider: How did you have your teeth bonded the first time? How old is the original bonding? What are your habits (coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco use, etc)? Have you tried or considered some sort of sedation option (nitrous oxide, happy pills, IV sedation)? Assuming there are no underlying issues with the teeth (sensitivity, decay, open margins, etc), and that this is purely a color issue, the bonding can, in most cases, be re-surfaced without... more

Lorin F. Berland, DDS
Dallas Cosmetic Dentist

Re-bonding without Freezing or use of Drill

Very frequently you can avoid being frozen for certain fillings including ones that only need to be changed due to discolouration. The use of an Erbium Laser (Hard tissue laser) can eliminate the need for any freezing but majority of dentist do not use such lasers. If the filling in question does not have a cavity and is stable then only the top layer might be needed to be removed and replaced with a lighter shade. Such approach is more superficial not requiring the... more

Dan Haas, DDS
Toronto Cosmetic Dentist

Re-surfacing old bonding can be Painless

The great thing about a lot of bonding procedures is that they are usually painless. The other thing is that old bonded fillings can be repaired/re-newed. As long as there isn't any sign of bacterial leakage under the old bonding, the surface can be polished or re-surfaced to make it look as good as new.

Martin Frankel, DDS
Toronto Cosmetic Dentist

Repairing bonding

Most tooth bonding can be repaired without the need for local anesthesia, as long as there is no internal tooth decay.

Daniel Melnick, DDS
Laurel Cosmetic Dentist

Adding to dental bonding

You can have your bonding (assuming that it was composite material) to be touched up and renewed without removing the whole restoration from the tooth, if everything is a good condition: no cavity, no composite defects, favorable opposing occlusion. Composite adheres to composite very well and you should not have any problem with that. You will be waisting your time and money if you will try to bleach your present bonded restorations.

Zina Kaleinikova, DDS, MS
Cleveland Cosmetic Dentist

Discolored bonding can not be whitened, but can be replaced

Whitening procedures only whiten the tooth structure itself, not dental restorations such as fillings/bonding, crowns, or veneers. Therefore, if you are unhappy with the shade of your bonding or if the bonding has become discolored, you will need to replace the bonding. The dentist will remove the old material, clean any decay underneath, and then place a new filling. As long as the dentist keeps the bur (drill) on the filling material while removing it, you will most... more

Elizabeth Jahanian, DDS
Corona Cosmetic Dentist

No Drills Bonding

It's better to replace an old discolored bonding instead of patching it up. New bonding material should be placed on a clean service to get better lasting results. You want to make sure that x-rays are taken to make sure there is no decay under bonding material if you decide not to have bonding material completely removed. Whitening solutions only work on natural teeth, as far as your anxiety you might want to ask your dentist if he can... more

Lawrence Gilbert, DDS
Woodbury Cosmetic Dentist

Fix a bonding

As long as the x-ray shows no decay, your dentist can use 'air abrasion' to comfortably remove the outer layer of the tooth without anesthetic, and then bond fresh material over the old composite filling.

Randall LaFrom, DDS
San Jose Cosmetic Dentist

Bondings

Firstly, it needs to be confirmed clinically and radiographically that there is no secondary decay around the old bonding. If everything looks good then only first few milimeters can be removed and bonded with the new material . Tooth may not have to be drilled further and there may not be any need of anesthesia unless there are other reasons to do it. Unfortunately the bondings cannot be whitened with the whitening gels,.

Dalvir Pannu, DDS
San Jose Cosmetic Dentist

Old bonding...

Hello, If the filling is intact, we can work on the tooth without drilling-just adding up bonding for a better shade. If this is the case than we do not have to change the tooth’s shape. However, if adding the bond creates an excess filling, than we first remove part of the existing bonding and then add up bond with a better shade-that means we have to drill. Thank you, Dr. Barba

Antoaneta Barba, DDS
Santa Ana Cosmetic Dentist

Anxiety of dental treatment and dental bonding

The material used for dental bonding is porous and it will discolor in time . You can polish it up and try any strong teeth whitener to brighten it a little but chances are that the improvement will be too slight . To address your dental needs you can look for a dentist that offers conscious sedation ; he would give you meds that put you at ease temporarily until the procedure is done

Laura Torrado, DDS
New York Cosmetic Dentist

Touching up Dental Bonds that are intact but not as white as they should be

Dental bonding is a simple and price effective method for making teeth nice and even and white without the pan and expense of veneers. If your dental bonding is pretty much intact, and you are happy with it, I would suggest that you ask your dentist to redo the bonding and make it look whiter, and smoother and cosmetically appealing . This type of process can be easily be changed up and added to, correcting the shade and the contour of the teeth. If you have... more

Robert Fields, DDS
Los Angeles Cosmetic Dentist

Funny thing about dental school

We dentists were taught to never leave any old filling materials in a tooth prior to filling. I guess that may have been true in most cases many years ago. Today's composite resins CAN be added to and repaired. This is the opinion of Nassar Barghi, Chairman of the Dept of Restorative Dentistry and the University of Texas. Very progressive for a dental school professor. I think this would work for you. Good luck finding a dentist to do it! more

Tom Hedge, DDS
Cincinnati Cosmetic Dentist

Whitening products do NOT affect dental restorations

One of the great benefits to dental restorations is stability. Despite what I do or eat, they remain mostly unaffected. This can be a problem when we WANT a change. Products like the Supersmile® you mention are only designed to change color of tooth structure and not your dental bonding. Sometimes bonding can discolor superficially. This means if the outer layer is polished, the color can improve. However, quite often dental bonding has changed color... more

Lance Timmerman, DMD
Seattle Cosmetic Dentist

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