Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Teeth Whitening and Tooth Mousse for White Spots

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I have some white spots on my teeth ever since I had my braces off. I was a bit late getting my teeth straightened as I didn’t have the money until recently. My dentist is suggesting I do tooth mousse for a couple of months and then follow it up with teeth whitening. Is this the right plan for me? I don’t have any reason not to trust the dentist, it is more I have an off feeling about things and have learned to trust my gut. So, I’m seeking another opinion before moving forward.

Avery

Dear Avery,

Teeth whitening trays in a blue case

I am glad you wrote. Your gut serves you well. White spots, especially after braces are signs of decalcification. This takes place because your braces made it a bit tricky to really get in there and brush. Bacteria got trapped and decalcified those spots. These are precursors to decay and can do some serious damage to your teeth.

While your dentist is giving it the “old college try”, I would say that he is about 50% correct in how he is handling this. Tooth mousse is designed to help remineralize teeth, but does not always work. It would not hurt to try this.

As for teeth whitening, in this case he is completely wrong. While teeth whitening does wonderful things for making your teeth look whiter, brighter, and even younger, it will whiten your teeth evenly. This means that your white spots will get whiter along with the remainder of your teeth. That is not the solution you are looking for.

The best way to deal with white spots is with microabrasion and dental bonding. However, this will require an expert cosmetic dentist. If you want whiter teeth, go ahead and do that, but afterward you’ll need to have the dental bonding done. Do not do the bonding first, because it will not whiten along with your teeth.

I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Braces Causing Enamel Damage To My Teeth!

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I am 13 years old and just got my braces off. Right after they were removed I am seeing chalky white spots on my front eight teeth. I had my teeth cleaned four times a year, and my orthodontist never mentioned this possibility for tooth destruction to me. My dentist wants to do porcelain veneers; is this what you would recommend? Also, I am a teeth grinder, if that makes a difference.

-Ashley in Texas

Ashley,

I wouldn’t recommend porcelain veneers for someone your age for your 8 front teeth. The problem with doing veneers at your age is that your teeth could erupt a little further as you get older, which will reveal the margin of the veneers instead of keeping that margin at the gumline. Plus, the fact that your dentist is suggesting that at your age makes me worry that he or she isn’t expert in placing porcelain veneers. There is a more conservative option for you, which would be direct dental bonding, and I would go to an expert cosmetic dentist for that.

The white spots are decalcification. What happens when you have braces is that the braces catch food every time you eat anything. If you don’t brush it off right away, it sits there and bacteria grow in the food debris and put out acid that attacks your teeth. I’m disappointed that your orthodontist didn’t talk to you about that. When you have braces, you need to be very careful about eating, and your orthodontist should tell you how to avoid this problem. One thing is that when you’re wearing braces you should avoid snacking. Just confine yourself mostly to eating at meals with only occasional snacks, and that will greatly reduce the damage. And then, after you eat, you need to brush right away. When I had my braces, I carried a toothbrush with me so I could do that, and after lunch or a snack I would excuse myself to the bathroom and take care of this. If you’re not able to brush, at least swish vigorously with water to get as much of that food debris off your teeth. Not only does it decalcify your teeth, but it smells bad.

Getting your teeth cleaned four times a year is okay, but it’s no substitute for getting the food out from around your brackets right away.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

The Aftermath of Thumb Sucking

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Can you help me? I have a teenager who is still sucking her thumb and now her teeth are protruding quite a bit. She’s starting high school soon and I want her to feel beautiful. But, they’re not just an overbite. They’re also kind of curved. What will fix this AND is there anything which can help her with this habit?

Tracy

Dear Tracy,

Smiling young woman with braces

I agree it is important for a young woman to feel confident and attractive. In fact, confidence is attractive. Because of the issues facing your daughter’s teeth, I’d suggest you see an orthodontist. She will need braces. These will fix both the problems of inclination and position simultaneously.

As for aiding her in giving up the thumb sucking, the first thing to do is not use punishments or shaming. You want her to grow up confident, not worried there’s something wrong with her. However, the thumbsucking has to stop or her teeth will continue to go out of alignment.

The easiest way is to use a product called Thum. It’s an unpleasant tasting liquid you can paint on her thumb. It should help her break the habit.

It’s important she’s careful about brushing her teeth during braces. Let her know ahead of time it’s harder. She’ll have to really work to get in there. It would help her to have a water pick too, which helps with getting food trapped around the bits of metal.

Too often we see white spots on teeth after braces. This is decalcification, which is the precursor to decay.

After Orthodontics

When her braces are done, she’ll be given a retainer to wear. It’s important she wears that or her teeth won’t stay in the proper position. You won’t be starting over, but you will have to do some repairs after shifting without that retainer.

With healthy teeth, there usually isn’t much a teenager needs to do cosmetically. However, some prefer to have their teeth whitened after they finally get their braces off, giving them a fresh look along with the straighter teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.