Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

The Trouble With Teeth Whitening When You Have Enamel Hypocalcification

by Lonnie Bryant

Many minor dental irregularities are left untreated, and there isn't necessarily anything wrong with this approach. As long as the irregularity doesn't affect the functionality of your teeth or the alignment of your bite, it's nothing more than a cosmetic issue, meaning that treatment is at your discretion. Enamel hypocalcification isn't generally a significant problem, and if the condition affects you, your dentist is likely to have already informed you. Yet your enamel hypocalcification can be a problem when you try to whiten your teeth.

The Formation of Your Dental Enamel

Enamel hypocalcification relates to the formation of your dental enamel. Instead of a uniform level of dental enamel coating your teeth, some sections of enamel can be hypocalcified, leading to the development of small bumps, tufts, and spindles of enamel on your teeth. These look like white spots. When you use a home teeth whitening kit, you might assume that these white spots will blend into the background as your teeth become progressively whiter. Unfortunately, it rarely works out like that.

White Spots Are Whiter

While the active bleaching ingredient in the whitening kit (which is usually carbamide peroxide) might be working as it should, it's not especially precise. It will whiten all the dental enamel it comes into contact with and doesn't distinguish between hypocalcified enamel and regular enamel. This means that your efforts will make those white spots all the more whiter and even more obvious than they were before.

Removing Hypocalcification

The obvious solution might be to visit your dentist to have them perform the whitening treatment. Yes, you will need assistance from your dentist, but standard whitening might not be their recommendation, or at least not at first. The surface irregularities of enamel hypocalcification can often be removed with tooth contouring, when your dentist gently buffs away these bumps, tufts, and spindles using a dental bur. Once this has happened, you can generally proceed with a whitening treatment, but this isn't the case for everyone.

Cosmetic Intervention

When removing enamel hypocalcification, your dentist mustn't remove too much enamel, as this makes your teeth infinitely more vulnerable to decay. It simply might not be possible to entirely remove enamel hypocalcification without compromising your enamel. In this case, your teeth will need cosmetic intervention. Laminate porcelain dental veneers can be attached to your teeth, covering the enamel hypocalcification. These can be manufactured in a predetermined shade of white, and your other teeth can then be bleached to colour match your new veneers.

Your enamel hypocalcification may not have been an issue until you attempted to whiten your teeth. This should still be possible, but you'll need assistance beyond what an at-home whitening kit can offer.


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About Me

Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

There are more than two ways to straighten a smile, and in this blog, I plan to discuss them all. I plan to look at the differences between braces and retainers and explain why sometimes you may need them both. I look at the differences in cost, time commitment and efficacy. Personally, I have had a bit of experience with this subject – I had braces as a young teen, and I had a permanent retainer. In this blog, I discuss what I have learned, and I present all kinds of new information on the topic. Whether you are trying to make decisions for yourself or your child. I hope you find this information useful.