I’ve always been a smiley – but lately I’ve been smiling more than ever, and here’s why: After years of hating my teeth, I had a small treatment that changed my smile forever. Stay with me as I share before and after stories and photos!
I have never been satisfied with the color of my teeth. I’m not sure if it’s genetics, drinking too much tea and coffee, the antibiotics I took as a child, or the fact that I avoided brushing my teeth as a child. All I know is that they are always discolored – more gray/yellow than pearl white.
Over the years, I’ve tried almost everything, from whitening toothpaste to experiment Bright Smile (this temporarily improved things but then I got lazy).
However, it’s more than the discoloration that bothers me. I really don’t like the shape of them, my canines are too pointed and a few things get more noticeable with each passing year. One front tooth seemed to come out before the other, and then I chipped one of them, making it feel like a crooked tooth.
I don’t let that stop me from smiling – but inside it hurts. Every time I looked in the mirror, or saw a picture of myself, they were there.
I thought the only solution was porcelain veneers, but at a few thousand dollars per tooth, I couldn’t justify the cost.
Then I met Debbie from Debbie Family Dentistry at a local business networking event and she told me about the dental affiliation – needless to say I was booked in just a few weeks later. !
I was delighted with the results and had a lot of questions as I shared my radiant new smile on social media, so I wanted to share my experience here on the blog. Check out the difference in the before and after pictures of my teeth!
Before and After filling teeth
What is tooth filling?
It is known by all sorts of names – composite bonding, dental bonding, dental bonding, plastic bonding, cosmetic bonding.
Teeth are cleaned and smoothed, before a tooth-colored, paste-like resin is applied, molded and shaped. Dental bonding is “installed” with a special blue light, before your dentist polishes, cuts and shapes your teeth.
Dental fillings are used to:
- correct crooked teeth;
- fill the gaps between the teeth;
- lengthening short teeth;
- repair chipped front teeth;
- whiten a discolored smile;
- cover the exposed tooth roots left by receding gums;
- change the shape of the teeth; And
- Repair cavities (instead of fillings in front teeth).
Pros and cons of dental bonding
The main advantage over porcelain veneers is cost. In Australia, instead of paying several thousand dollars per tooth, you can expect to pay between $250 and $300 per tooth. I did dental bonding for six of my front teeth, as a way to repair chipped, whiten and change their shape. There is also usually no need for local anesthesia, and the process is fairly quick – from 30 minutes to an hour for each tooth.
While dental fillings are actually painless, it can be a bit uncomfortable and your gums can bleed quite a bit (which means it will take longer). Honestly – it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable experience for someone like me (who hates spending time in the dentist’s chair). My top advice – find a dentist with extensive experience in bonding, to minimize your chair time! From what I can gather, not many dentists offer this service.
How long it lasts?
According to what I have read online, you can expect the dental affiliation to last ten years. However, Debbie says this is a conservative estimate and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t last a lifetime with proper care. Oh, and no more biting off the thread or breaking the bundle with the front teeth!
Caring for your teeth after a filling is just regular oral hygiene – brushing at least twice a day (preferably with an electric toothbrush), flossing daily, and rinsing your mouth with water afterwards. when drinking tea, coffee or red wine, to prevent stains – and of course visit your dentist regularly for checkups, professional cleanings and fluoride treatments.
I’m very happy with the results, especially with the upcoming 22 year old Miss’s wedding – I’m so happy I’ll have beautiful teeth for my wedding photos! Now my front teeth also feel really smooth when I feel them with my tongue.
I love my new smile, it’s not too white so it still looks natural. Even though I want better teeth, I don’t want a “Hollywood” smile – I often see people on TV and their teeth are almost luminescent, they’ve been heavily whitened. I *could* do an extra tooth on each side because sometimes you can see them when I smile but I really don’t mind at this stage.
For years, I’ve chosen my lipstick color based solely on what would make my teeth look less yellow – I can finally color the beautiful apricot and bright red that I always love. away!
I feel more confident, and my lovely family tells me it makes me look younger (but they can only flatter me).
My only complaint is: Why didn’t I know about dental fillings sooner?! Please note – we probably didn’t have the money sooner, which is definitely a bit of a luxury for this middle-aged mom 🙂 .
UPDATE: 15.03.23
Almost four years later, I still love my new teeth!
You may be wondering how dental bonding is maintained?
I won’t lie, my teeth aren’t as white as they were when I first had the procedure – but I’m fine with that. If anything they were a bit TOO bright at first! Four years of drinking coffee and tea has given them a much more natural color (though I did try to rinse my mouth after drinking a cup of coffee!).
When it comes to taking care of my teeth, I learned a few more tips along the way:
- Do not use whitening toothpaste as it is too abrasive;
- You need to pay extra attention to flossing around the glued teeth because “stuff” seems to build up there.
I had a few minor fissures/lines in my teens in a few places, but they were fixed during my routine dental visits.
Not only my smile changed. There has been a huge change in my confidence, before and after the filling!
Note that I was not paid for this post in any way and I paid for my treatment myself – just wanted to share my experience with you. You can find more Before and after photos of teeth bonding on Debbie Family Dental website.
