What are white spots, and how does one get them?
White spots on your teeth are areas of demineralization of the tooth enamel, creating a weak spot on your tooth known as white spot lesions. White spots can occur due to a plaque overgrowth due to poor dental hygiene, or braces or other dental appliances that are glued in and hard to clean. Too much fluoride can also be a factor, especially in small children who tend to swallow toothpaste rather than spit it out, or if you are living in an area with heavily fluoridated water. Nutritional deficiencies, as well as poor, sugary, or overly acidic diets, or medications can lead to white spots. Some children develop white spots after a chronic childhood illness, which remain into adulthood.
What are the benefits of treating white spots?
The benefits of treating white spots are twofold. The major benefit is, of course, the feeling of confidence and happiness about your beautiful unblemished smile. The other is addressing the issues causing the white spots and getting them treated before they become a potential larger dental problem. Understanding the reasons behind how the white spots occurred and what you can do to ensure that they do not re-occur after treatment are very important to your overall dental care and health. Just by finding out about white spot treatment, opens the door to a better understanding of your oral health.
What treatments are available at Hardin Advanced Dentistry?
Hardin Advanced Dentistry offers three simple treatments for white spot lesions that can improve the appearance of your teeth. These are simple, conservative procedures that are minimally invasive and approached with responsible esthetics in mind – understanding your goals, taking into consideration your medical and dental history, and your overall expectations for treatment. These treatments are a very cost-effective first approach to a beautiful and radiant smile. In most cases, the treatment is completed in one office visit. When combined with good oral care, have lasting results.
Treatments for white spots at Hardin Advanced Dentistry
At Hardin Advanced Dentistry, we offer three different approaches to removing white spots. We can advise you which treatment will create the best results by examining your teeth. Our treatment options are:
- Microabrasion
- Icon Infiltration
- Opalustre
What is microabrasion, and how does it work?
Microabrasion is a mechanical process of using a mild abrasive and acid combination to gently polish the surface of your tooth affected by white spots. The procedure is like dental cleaning in that the polishing compound is applied using a rubber cup fitted to rotary drill with a low rotation while applying gentle pressure to the tooth surface. The combination of the special polishing compound and manual application allow for a gentle abrasion of your tooth enamel to remove white spots. This treatment is safe and minimally invasive. Any roughness felt on the tooth surface post-treatment is easily restored to a smooth surface by your saliva.
What is Icon Infiltration, and how does it work?
Icon Infiltration is used in cases where there is a need to fill in de-calcified areas of your tooth surface. This treatment addresses mild to moderate white spot lesions, that require a more thorough treatment. Icon infiltration is a simple procedure in which a mild acid to rough the surface of your tooth. The roughened surface allows for a special dental resin, designed to rapidly infiltrate the roughened porous area of the white spot lesion, adhering to the tooth. The treatment helps to seal the porous condition of the enamel due to the de-calcification of the enamel and helps to prevent further demineralization.
What is Opalustre, and how does it work?
Opalustre is a trademarked chemical stain treatment that is combined with gentle polishing to help remove superficial white spots from the tooth enamel. This treatment is simply the application of the Opalustre product – a chemical slurry with a mild abrasive - that is applied to the surface of the affected tooth after a rubber dam has been placed to protect surrounding tissue and keep any of the product from being swallowed. Once the product has been placed on the tooth surface, it is gently compressed by a special bristle cup to micro polish the tooth.
How do I know what treatment is right for me?
Discovering what treatment is right for you begins with booking a consultation at our comfortable and state-of-the-art office. Here you will meet with our cosmetic dentist, who will perform a full oral exam and consult with you about your goals for treatment. The consultation process will reveal the treatment most appropriate for you.
Am I a candidate for white spot treatment?
If you have white spots on your teeth that affect the aesthetics of your smile, you are likely a good candidate for treatment. Candidates for treatment have:
- The desire to have a confident and blemish-free smile
- Want to have tooth enamel free of annoying white spots
- A wish to have a more even color to the teeth
Why should one choose Hardin Advanced Dentistry for white spot removal?
Hardin Advanced Dentistry is committed to the overall goal of helping you have a fresh, gleaming, brilliant smile. We approach this goal with a viewpoint of responsible aesthetics, professionalism, artistry, and skill. We provide treatment plans that are suited to your medical, dental, and aesthetic needs.
We keep in mind the importance of clear and open communication. We strive to bring about an understanding of the treatments best suited to your specific needs. If you are tired of seeing white spots on your teeth, we have solutions that work. Visit with us, and we can quickly determine the ideal treatment for you.
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What convinced me to try Hardin Dental, was that she not only emphasizes your smile, but also the health of my teeth.
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Now I smile with confidence and I have people telling me my teeth look beautiful.
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My experience at Hardin was nothing but positive. Dr. Tara Hardin made me feel very comfortable and important.
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The best thing about Hardin Advanced Dentistry is that Dr. Tara Hardin is just a perfectionist with what she does in the field of cosmetic dentistry.
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Hardin Dentistry is very professional and makes us feel extremely comfortable.
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I had a great experience at Hardin Advanced Dentistry.
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My experience at Hardin Advanced Dentistry has been wonderful.
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The thing that I like most about Hardin Advanced Dentistry is the professionalism and timeliness of her staff, and the outcome of the work that was performed on my teeth.
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Amazing dentist and staff and the best work ever! I highly recommend this place!
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From the initial phone call to my appointment, everyone treated me very kindly. I couldn't have asked for more as a patient. Thank you all for everything.
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I am so glad I am a patient here! It is a great feeling to have my "repairs" completed and now I am just in "maintenance mode with a clean bill of health at every check-up!"
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Everyone is always so pleasant and every visit is a great experience.
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Everything went very smoothly and they were very comforting and eased my worries.
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I give them 5 stars!
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Dr. Tara and her staff are the best. Organized, efficient, gentle, thorough, and very skilled are just a few of the adjectives that I would use to describe my experience.
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Best dental office ever. Dr Tara is one of the most knowledgeable dentists I've ever known.