Tetracycline Stains
Before Treatment
Tetracycline Stained Teeth
Causes of Tetracycline Stain
Tetracycline stains are permanent staining inside the tooth and are difficult to manage and remove. Many years ago, doctors prescribed tetracycline as an effective antibiotic for treating many illnesses. It was even perceived to be a more effective treatment than penicillin. The devastating long-term tetracycline staining effects on teeth were not known at the time.
Today’s adults and children who received tetracycline treatment are now faced with teeth stains that are seemingly unmanageable and frustratingly untreatable. The tetracycline stain gets darker towards the center of the teeth.
Tetracycline Stain Research
Researchers and dentists discovered that tetracycline staining actually becomes darker as the tooth is penetrated below the surface enamel.
Endodontic specialists at USC School of Dentistry, tested an effective method of tooth whitening that involved bleaching each tooth - starting from the inner part of the tooth and bleaching "outwards." It was a fairly invasive technique because it required a root canal on each tooth that had tetracycline stain. The treatment was too invasive of a method to treat tetracycline staining inside the tooth.
Successful Tetracycline Treatment
The young lady in the adjacent photo received tetracycline treatments as a youngster... for an extended time. All of her teeth had a "stain band" (see photos for detail.) Her primary goal was to look better and have teeth that looked whiter and healthy.
Different Patients - Different Teeth Whitening
No two patients will respond identically to a teeth-whitening procedure. Dr. Muslin uses a custom combination of whitening methods that will be effective for the individual patient (results have proven to be superior when compared to BriteSmile, Zoom, Crest Whitening Strips, Rembrandt and laser teeth whitening). Teeth whitening can be achieved with teeth bleaching techniques that are customized to the patient.
Tetracycline Bleaching - Cosmetic Dentistry
During the patient's consult with Dr. Muslin she learned that cosmetic dentistry could help her address other cosmetic concerns along with whitening her teeth. She had gaps between her upper teeth and also had teeth that were too narrow. Crowns that were placed by another dentist were too dark. Lastly, the gumline symmetry was not balanced and the tooth size proportions were not balanced.
The patient decided that she would not only acquire and ultra bright white smile, but also undergo some high-tech cosmetic dental procedures incorporating the use of porcelain veneers, dental bonding porcelain crowns, and teeth bleaching to create a beautiful smile makeover and natural looking cosmetic dentistry.
Minimally Invasive Dentistry
The first step, before selecting the porcelain materials, was to achieve the highest degree of whiteness for her teeth. Dr. Muslin used laser teeth whitening procedures on her lower teeth to obtain the shade of whiteness desired by the patient. Her teeth responded well to the laser treatments and to customized teeth whitening treatments done at home. The plan was to bleach her lower teeth because the teeth were straight and balanced. They just needed to be whiter. The most non-invasive type of dentistry, in this case, was to whiten the lower teeth and use porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns on the upper teeth. The smile make over will be perfectly balanced and natural looking with minimally invasive dentistry.
Porcelain crowns were recommended by Dr. Muslin to widen the narrow appearance of her smile... thereby closing up the apparent gaps in her upper teeth. Dr. Muslin explained that the net effect would be an even broader, natural looking and wider smile, which would only enhance her attractiveness.
After Photo
Tetracycline Stain Removed
Matching the color of the new porcelain materials to the patient's new whiteness level of her lower teeth was no small task... This required close communication between Dr. Muslin and his porcelain veneer ceramist and together they were able to match the translucency and opacity levels of the natural lower teeth with the porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns on the upper teeth. This extra effort had a very dramatic impact on this reconstructive effect, as can be seen in this second photo. The patient achieved her primary goal of having the "whitest of white" teeth.
She now has a full and natural looking smile makeover, and no longer has to worry about unsightly tetracycline stains. The gum reshaping and re-contouring produced a symmetrical gum line that is critical in achieving well-balanced cosmetic dentistry. Precision ceramics produced a smile line (the arc of the lower biting edge of the upper teeth) that established the final "harmony" of her smile (the pictures tell the story).
Contact Dr. Muslin and his staff at (310) 829-6796 to learn more about his custom teeth bleaching procedures and his custom non-invasive porcelain veneer technique. Make your appointment to see how he can successfully treat the worst tetracycline stains imaginable ... including tetracycline with teeth that are out of proportion and an uneven gumline.