Nowadays there are all sorts of ways to improve the smile. For a bright white smile, professional tooth whitening is readily available and an option for most of us. If, however, there are deeply embedded marks on the teeth, these cannot be eliminated with tooth whitening. What can be done about them? This is a question that we are often asked.
Decalcified teeth
The fact is that tooth whitening will only remove stains – it won’t remove marks underneath the enamel surface. For example, too much fluoride in childhood can cause white marks, known as fluorosis. This is a minor cosmetic concern but undesirable when they are on your front teeth. Marks can also occur when teeth become decalcified, perhaps as a result of poor hygiene while wearing braces. However, there is now a dental material which can get rid of this kind of ingrained intrinsic marking. This is a welcome innovation and we are happy to say that our cosmetic dentist, Dr Sandra Garcia Martin, is offering this treatment, called ICON.
Now you see it, now you don’t!
The great thing about the treatment is that it’s minimally invasive. This means the treatment doesn’t hurt and it causes no harm to your teeth. The appointment takes about an hour. The markings are removed after repeat applications of the innovative new material which also remineralises the teeth.
The affected teeth need to be carefully isolated first for cleaning, then polishing and then having the gel applied. The final step is a thorough wash and the results are instantaneous. A week later Dr Martin likes her patients to return for a review appointment. The cost is £650 for several teeth or £325 for a single tooth.
Before and after ICON treatment
The material that Dr Martin uses is called ICON – so if you are interested to see if this will be appropriate for you, just call the clinic on 020 7486 2883.
Renata, our treatment co-ordinator, has had the treatment and will tell you what it was like and share before and after photographs. And remember, if you are interested in whitening, but you have any kind of enamel disorder, you will need to have the ICON treatment before you have the whitening.
