Dr. David Kagan's Blog

I didn’t take care of my teeth as well as I should have when I had braces and unfortunately, some calcification occurred. I would like to somehow conceal these spots but veneers cost way too much. I was wondering if there is another method I could try that wouldn’t break the bank.
-Olivia from Pennsylvania
P.S. will the white spots become whiter too if I bleach my teeth?

Olivia
Yes, when you wear traditional braces, they catch food. You have to clean them off everytime you eat anything at all, or they can eat into your teeth and you end up with these white spots on your teeth when your braces come off. These are decalcification spots.

Bleaching could make them worse. I know of cases where dentists without much experience with teeth bleaching try using that to get rid of the spots, and the problem is that they whiten the tooth uniformly, and it seems that the white spots become even more prominent.

If they aren’t too extensive, I would recommend dental bonding. The dentist will remove the damaged enamel and replace it with a composite that is shade matched to your tooth and polished to a high luster. If done right, the repair is invisible.

And since your enamel is damaged, if you have dental insurance, your benefits should help pay for this – at least a portion of this.

Invisalign invisible braces don’t have this problem. There are no brackets to catch food. When you eat, you just snap out the aligners, and then you put them back in when you’re done. At night, you take them out to clean your teeth and put them back in.

I lost my retainer and would like to get a new one. However my dentist wants to take a new impression. I told them that I would like them to just use my original impression so if my teeth shifted slightly they would move back. They said that they will be unable to use the old one and want to take a new impression. I feel like this isn’t a good idea because then I will just retain my teeth to where they have settled and not where they should be. Is this right? They say that it will not fit. I know that if I found my retainer it would go in.

Also, I asked them for my impressions so I can go somewhere else and they said I couldn’t have it. Isn’t it mine since I paid for it? I asked another dentist if they could make a retainer (for bleaching) using my existing impressions and they said it would only cost $30. Much better than $75. But, I just have to find a way to make him give me my impressions. Thank you for your information.

Alicia from Wisconsin

Alicia,
Whether or not the retainer would push your teeth back to where they were depends on how long it has been since your retainer was lost. If it’s only a couple of weeks, it should work. But some people’s teeth move quickly when the retainer isn’t worn and some move more slowly.

If it’s true that your lost retainer would fit if you found it, then a new retainer made from the old model should work.

But the dental office may be resisting that because of some other problem. It could be that they have damaged the model from which your retainer was made, or that they have lost it or discarded it.

It isn’t true that you own the old impressions or the model. The dental office legally owns that. You paid for the resulting service, not for the impressions or model. However, the dentist is under ethical obligation to provide any assistance you require to help you continue your care elsewhere. So if you have the other DENTIST request the model in order to make you a retainer, your dentist is ethically obligated to provide that assistance. If they don’t, you could file a complaint with the dental board and/or the dental association.

Related links:
Read about Boca Raton Invisalign invisible braces. Dr. Kagan is certified as an Invisalign dentist.