My Daughter’s Bonding Looks Awful

My eleven year old daughter broke her two front teeth. The sides are still there but there is a chunk taken out of the middle and bottom. Her pediatric dentist suggested we have dental bonding done in order to fill in the missing, broken parts of the tooth. It sounded like a good solution and he showed me examples of it online. The results were nothing like what we saw on the pictures he showed us. The texture is bumpy and the color does not match the remainder of his tooth. My daughter is in tears and does not want to go to school. Honestly, I don’t blame her. Is there anything that can be done to make it look as natural as the images he showed us?

Mary

Dear Mary,

I will give your daughter’s pediatric dentist credit for choosing the right procedure.  However, he failed when it came to the execution. It is interesting to me that you said he showed you pictures from online. That sounds to me like he didn’t have any images of cases he’s successfully done with dental bonding.

As you can see from the image above, dental bonding can be used to restore damaged teeth while blending naturally in with the surrounding tooth structure. However, it has to be done by someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

Your daughter is eleven. You know her best. If you think she would cooperate with a different dentist, then I suggest you take her to one with more expertise in cosmetic dental work. Dental bonding is done free hand, so it takes additional expertise to do that properly.

The best cosmetic dentists in the world are ones who are accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). It would be even better if they where a fellow (FAACD). They can ensure your daughter will have a completely natural looking smile. She won’t have anything to feel embarrassed about with her smile.

Once her teeth are fully developed, you will want to switch out the dental bonding for porcelain veneers, which are more stain resistant and, if she cares for them, will last for decades instead of a few years.

This blog is brought to you by a skilled cosmetic dentist in Cincinnati, Dr. Fred Peck.