Archives for December 2021

Dental Bonding Doesn’t Match

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Annmarie Worthington.

I had a chipped tooth repaired with dental bonding. The repair does not match my natural teeth. Should I ask the same dentist to redo it or just go to another dentist. Is it reasonable to ask for a refund if I end up going to another dentist?

Craig

Dear Craig,

before and after dental bonding

I would give your dentist another chance. We are all at different points in our skill development and he or she just may need another opportunity to get it right. I’m a little disappointed your dentist didn’t offer to redo it when the dental bonding did not match. However, they may have been embarrassed and didn’t want to point it out. This is a tough skill because dental bonding has to be done freehand. Hopefully, when you bring up the discrepancy they will have the integrity to make it right. There should not be a charge for the repair. It is pretty basic to expect your teeth to match.

Finding that Next Dentist

If after they try again it still doesn’t match then, yes, you should ask for a refund and go elsewhere. Make sure you do some research. Look at the smile gallery on their website to see if the work they do is “up to snuff”. You should be thrilled with the results you see. If they do not have a smile gallery, please don’t bother with them. That is an automatic sign that they do not do enough cosmetic dentistry or that their work is not good enough to “brag” about.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Prosthodontist Dr. Tostado.

Metals in Dental Crowns

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Annmarie Worthington.

I prefer natural medicine and am in need of a dental crown. Because of my thyroid issues, I do not want any lithium, metals, or metal ions in any of my dental work. I like the look of ceramic crowns and wondered if they would fit the bill for me.

Caolyn

Dear Carolyn,

A porcelain crown being placed on a tooth

Ceramic crowns are metal free, However, the metal ions are another issue altogether. There are metal ions in all ceramics. That being said, I want you to understand that metal or metal ions in themselves are not harmful. For instance, you have metal in your bloodstream at all times, with iron. Some metal ions are necessary for your health. Some of these are calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and cobalt. There are others.

The type of dental crown you want to avoid are those with a metal base. Any all-porcelain or ceramic crown will be perfectly safe and even beautiful when done by the right dentist as long as they don’t have that metal base I mentioned.

When you have a metal based dental crown, the results are usually more opaque than you would want them to be for a beautiful result. In addition, they all end up with a gray line at your gumline.

One thing I would look for in your place is a holistic dentist. They are much more willing to work around a patient’s preferences and almost all of them are metal free as a matter of course.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Tostado.

How Do Dental Crowns Help TMJ Disorder?

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Annmarie Worthington.

I went to see a dentist for TMJ symptoms and he is saying I need dental crowns to fix it. I don’t understand how dental crowns on healthy teeth can fix TMJ.

Betty

Dear Betty,

A porcelain crown being placed on a tooth

It is possible he is talking about a full-mouth reconstruction, which is one method of dealing with TMJ Disorder. However, I am concerned that this is what your dentist is jumping to first. There are several more conservative options that should have been tried first. Based on your description above, it sounds like your dentist immediately jumped to one of the most invasive treatments possible.

However, before doing that, I want you to get a second opinion from another dentist. A full-mouth reconstruction involves placing dental crowns on every tooth. This is one of the most advanced procedures in dentistry and I would like to be certain you actually need it.

If it turns out you do end up needing that full-mouth reconstruction make sure whatever dentist you go to has the training necessary to do it correctly. A prosthodontist or another dentist with advanced post-doctoral TMJ training would be a good option.

You will also want to be certain he cares about aesthetics as well. You don’t have to substitute function for form. You can have both. Here is how you can make certain you get it. When you are deciding on your dentist make sure they are willing to place the crowns with a temporary try-in paste. If you are not thrilled with how the dental crowns look, then they need to be willing to send them back to the lab and make any requested changes.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Tostado.