I took my son to the pediatric dentist after he chipped 3 of his top front teeth while playing basketball. He is 14 yrs old. Caps aren’t necessary and there was no internal damage to his teeth. The dentist basically said, “No problem. I can make it look like his teeth were never chipped.” She was so confident that I didn’t ask any questions about how much bonding experience she has or anything. Last week my son got the bonding. When the dentist was finished, I thought it was a joke. It looks like she didn’t even try to match the bonding with my son’s teeth and it’s lumpy. I wanted to cry for my son, but I was trying to be strong for him. Truthfully, it’s the hottest mess I’ve ever seen. I can’t ask her to do it over because I don’t trust her. How do we get the bonding off? I would rather see my son with chipped teeth than globs of bonding that look like gravel on his teeth. Thanks. Tabitha
Tabitha – Your son’s experience is unfortunate. Chipped teeth can be traumatic enough, but when a pediatric dentist tries to restore them, and it goes bad, it can make the situation worse.
You won’t be able to remove the bonding. If you try to, it can damage your son’s teeth even further. We recommend that you find a pediatric dentist with post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry, or find a cosmetic dentist who accepts teenagers as patients.
A cosmetic dentist has a variety of composite colors and tools to ensure the restoration is seamless. That’s something you won’t find in the vast majority of pediatric dental offices. The good news is that chairside bonding can be completed in a single appointment. After you find a trained cosmetic dentist, your son can leave the office with a restored smile and more confidence.
Schedule consultations with two cosmetic dentists first. It will help you select the right dentist to remove the bumpy bonding and conceal your son’s chipped teeth.
You can kindly explain to your son’s pediatric dentist that it’s important to you and your son for the restoration to be invisible. A reasonable pediatric dentist will understand.
This post is sponsored by Naperville dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.
