<p>My S has white areas near his gums from poor dental hygiene while he was wearing braces. I believe it is decalcification from plaque.</p>
<p>I had asked his dentist a while back what could be done, and got a vague answer that basically implied - something that will cost a lot of money and he can pay for as an adult.</p>
<p>So, my ex-H landed a good job and says he wants to pay for S to have this corrected. (which is ok with me as long as he starts helping pay for S’s college too :mad:)</p>
<p>Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has had experience getting something like this corrected? I am thinking it is not a simple whitening procedure but would involve something like bonding or veneers?</p>
<p>You should discuss the options with your dentist, because there may be several. Find out how long each specific “fix” is likely to last. Your S certainly doesn’t need to be “re-fixing” this multiple times over the course of his lifespan!</p>
<p>And I urge you to get several opinions and estimates from several dentists. There are often many alternatives, each costing a different number of arms and legs.</p>
<p>Thanks. I am thinking he’ll need his wisdom teeth out first (is going for a recommended consult soon now that he’s going on ex-H’s better insurance) and possibly remedial orthodontia since he wasn’t very good about wearing his retainer either.</p>
<p>martina, he should probably do the wisdom teeth first because if they are coming in funky they can ruin everything the orthodontia did. </p>
<p>He should check with the insurance about the whitening or whatever too but a lot of times they don’t pay for cosmetic dentistry so your ex may be forking over a lot of money.</p>
<p>My child has those white areas from braces, too. I am wondering whether some kids, due to the composition of their teeth, are more prone to that happening than other kids, regardless of their hygiene during the time the braces were on. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m kidding myself, but I thought my kid did a conscientious job brushing. He is certainly very responsible about everything else.</p>
<p>I think it’s certainly possible that some are more prone than others; my two younger D’s have problems with molars that are coming in soft and weak, resulting in their own dental problems.</p>
<p>S was chided repeatedly about taking better care of his teeth. At this point, it’s not a matter of blame. It is unsightly, but it’s not something that I was looking to sink money into doing anything about. He will have the wisdom teeth out and then have a consultation with the orthodontist. If the ex wants to pay for the cosmetic work, he’s welcome to, but I was looking into (at CC of course!) what options there may be since I would probably be the one dealing with the dentist.</p>
<p>My teeth had extreme decalcification due to a very high fever when I was a baby… or so my dentists over the years have believed was the cause. They’d been like that since all my adult teeth came in around 3rd grade.</p>
<p>My dental hygienist has me on a regime of Pronamel Sensodyne (or any toothpaste that is specifically designed to harden enamel… I believe Colgate has one as well), MI Paste*, and baking soda+water rinses (this is new in the last few weeks). I also take daily calcium supplements, but that is not officially a part of my routine designed by my dental hygienist. And, of course, the usual flossing (with the added task of flossing the MI Paste between my teeth after a normal flossing).</p>
<p>*MI Paste is something that came on the market a little bit ago. I’ve been on it for three years now myself. It is something that there is extreme debate over its effectiveness, but it has caused my teeth to improve by leaps and bounds. All of those white spots are gone from my teeth and “concern areas” are no longer concerns. I have a feeling it is simply one of those products that does not work for everyone (especially if they do not use it regularly) and that is what skews the results different offices see.</p>
<p>The stuff is really a no harm, no foul as long as one isn’t allergic to milk protein. Tastes pretty good too ;). It’s $15/tube through the dental office I go to. Supposedly it lasts about three months, but I’ve stretched mine to six months. This may change as I’m now putting it on in the mornings and evenings rather than just the latter. I also tend to be stingy with it too.</p>
<p>It might not work and it does take some time to see results as well as dedication to using it daily, but it does show results for some people. Definitely much cheaper than dental cosmetic surgery, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>When the worm was in UG, his new dentist suggested teeth whitening, I think about $400 or 500. He was happy with result. I would get a few opinions.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen Audiophile (sp?) on here for a while, but she’s a dentist and has given excellent advice in past. Perhaps send her a note?</p>
<p>Kender, I will ask about the MI paste, thanks. I’d rather start with the simple solutions. </p>
<p>bookworm, maybe whitening would lessing the contrast between the white areas and the non effected areas.</p>
<p>Will definitely talk to the dentist, and may bug Audiophile.</p>