What, if anything can be done for teeth with tetracycline damage? i have damage due to tetracycline. is there anything that can help whiten my teeth?

Tetracycline : Tetracycline usually does not damage the teeth, but stains them with dark gray/brown horizontal lines. There are a couple of solutions: high power chemical whitening (professional whitening done by your dentist in the office). Take home whitening in a tray with solutions. Preparing the teeth and placing porcelain laminate veneers which will have to be thick enough and opaque to mask the color. This is by far the most expensive method ($1000-$2500 per tooth). Try the professional whitening first. It might give you a nice enough result without touching your teeth in a much more invasive manner. Best of luck, dr. Zev kaufman.

Chicago, Most : Chicago, most certainly one of those dogs at wrigley with the poppie seads couldn't hurt. Mild tetracycline stain can often be helped with enamelplasty (removing the very top layer of enamel) and bleaching (sometimes). Moderate stain can be helped with composite bonding/white filling material. Severe stain usually needs a set of quality esthetic veneers. When addressing esthetic needs it is important to be clear about your expectations and view real examples of your trusted dentist's work. Hope this is helpful, michael i. Wollock, dmd, agd fellow dentistry at suburban square 610-649-0313 www.Dentistryatsuburbansquare.Com.

It : It is a great shame that the advantages brought in helping children recover from from serious infections has this side effect when tetracycline is used. Unfortunately the the chemical tetracycline which is bright yellow produces some very strange variation in color when it is absorbed into the developing tooth bud and laid down in the enamel and dentine. If teeth are nearly finished developing, and the depth of the staining is superficial in the enamel, then the removal of the top layer can (not always) produce some significant improvement, and certainly under those condition the tooth whitening may also work. It is certainly worth trying. But my experience is that you get a better and more predictable result by crowning with the thick opaque layer. What surprises me is that we still see these cases so long after the time when it really was known that any one with developing teeth should never be given tetracycline. We have known since the late fifties and certainly the early 1960's that this antibiotic had this side effect. You might want to try a pit test cutting into a stained area and seeing just how deep the discoloration goes. If it is superficial then you will know what to try first. Good luck. Dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.

Try in-office bleach: Depending on the severity, I have had reasonable success with a combination whitening treatment which typically includes 2 in-office sessions and daily use of home whitening trays. This treatment is not a cheap bleaching procedure but is less costly than 2 laminate veneers. If it is not fully successful, at least the teeth are lighter allowing for thinner veneers to block out the color.

Tetracycline teeth: Teeth that have tetracyline staining can be the most difficult to whiten. The best method seems to be with the kor whitening system: http://www.Korwhitening.Com/ other options are porcelain laminates or all porcelain crowns. Discuss your options with one more dentists who can personally examine you.