I am absolutely livid right now. My son had a pretty good fall and chipped both his front teeth. He’s also terrible at brushing his teeth well so they’re always this ugly yellow. I took him to the dentist and figured we could solve both problems in one with porcelain veneers. I had them done a few years ago and love how my smile looks now. The dentist practically said I was insane and abusive and would give my son emotional issues about his smile. Really? Abusive? Because I want him to have an attractive smile? What exactly should a mother do about chipped and stained teeth in her children? He’s ten and should be brushing better by now.
Jill C.
There are a few things going on here. I hope the accusation of abuse was just a misunderstanding of verbiage. I will say I don’t think you’re with the best dentist for your family at the moment. He obviously has some chairside manner issues and you have things you need answers to which you’re not getting. Let me see if I can help with what you’re going through with your son.
Children are NOT good candidate for Porcelain Veneers
I know you’re worried about those chipped teeth and I do have a solution for you, but porcelain veneers will not work in his case. His bite and jaw are still developing and shifting. That’s not a good mix with an expensive fix like porcelain veneers which you’ll have to keep replacing as he grows.
Instead, chips in children (and adults) can easily be repaired using dental bonding. This uses a composite resin which the dentist can sculpt onto his teeth to “fill in” the missing bits of his tooth. A good cosmetic dentist will make this blend in perfectly. No one will be able to tell that his teeth were chipped.
Yes, the porcelain veneers would have “fixed” the discoloration of his teeth as well, but not his brushing problem. It’s not uncommon for boys of that age to struggle with giving their oral hygiene the attention it deserves. Fortunately, at his age, the stains are very easy to remove. Yellowing is probably just a result of poor brushing and not what we see in adults (like coffee stains, etc.)
In your place, I’d take him in for a thorough cleaning to brighten up his smile and then get the bonding done, so it will match the cleaner teeth.
There are apps that help children brush for the right amount of time, this may be something which will help you son really get at his teeth.
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