How much improvement can I expect after treatment for fluorosis stains on my teeth? (photo)

Happy Chinese New Year Greetings to you! I have studied the photograph that you have submitted and your fluorosis stains can be classified as: mild to moderate severity.

For some of my patients who are more conscious of their smiles, fluorosis stains can be a significant concern. For some, it can be even distressing. Because of fluorosis stains, these patients lack the confidence to smile naturally.

Dr Kelvin has answered well on the different techniques available to correct the problem, and I would like to add on to what he has said.

With regards to MicroAbrasion, teeth whitening procedures and Resin Infiltration, it's very hard for any dentist to guarantee a certain % of improvement.

I have had the good fortune to have a good number of patients trust me to do these procedures for them, but admittedly, results have varied greatly.

In some cases there have been very little to no improvement, and invariably patients do get disappointed. In other cases, the improvement was significant, and patients were satisfied with the result.

In my opinion, the factors that affect predictability of these treatments, are:

1. Case selection and severity of fluorosis

2. Quality of the enamel being treated

Having said that, the most predictable solution to your problem would then be to go for restorations like porcelain or composite resin veneers. However, the downside to that is that the affected teeth would need to be trimmed down slighlty before the veneers are bonded in place.

I always advise my patients to go for the most conservative treatment first, and if that fails or if the results are not satisfactory, then move on to more aggressive treatment like veneers. Veneers, when done well, can look very natural and beautiful.

On a side note, I also noticed that some of your lower front teeth have fine vertical crack/craze lines. This maybe a future concern.

Because of your crowded teeth, some of your lower teeth may be subjected to more stress as compared to other teeth, resulting in fine hairline cracks.

You may consider braces/invisalign to re-align your teeth, and to redistribute the bite forces to your back teeth.

I hope you find the above information useful, and feel free to contact any of the dentists on Human if you have any further questions.

Kind Regards,

Dr Gerald Tan

fluorosis stains by themselves do not pose any health issue. I do have patients bothered by the aesthetics appearance of it.

Fluorosis stain is a form of "internal stain" - polishing may not be effective to remove internal stains. Polishing is only effective to remove external stains (coffee, tea stains etc)

To eradicate or minimise fluorosis stain, we will need to stick something over the teeth to cover them, or to remove the stain mechanically or chemically.

I've found that the protocol below enables me to satisfactorily manage fluorosis stain for patients.

1. Sticking something over the stain using composite or ceramic veneers
2. Mechanically removing them using microabrasion
3. Chemically treating the teeth using a resin infiltrate. Some clinics may advocate whitening to chemically whiten them, but it may not be able to mask the contrast in tooth colour.

Using veneers or resin infiltrate do not cause sensitivity. Hope that helps, and all the best in getting a nicer smile!

Sincerely,
Dr Kelvin Chua