I have been whitening my teeth for a little over a week. It was going fine until the last two days. All of a sudden, I am having a sting of pain. It only lasts for about 30 seconds but it is a zinger. I’ve noticed it hurts where my dental bonding has been from a chipped tooth repair. The bonding itself is pretty old. Is it possible the bonding is wearing off or maybe the whitening gel could be weakening the bond? I was really hoping to get this teeth whitening done. Do you have any advice for me on this?
Penny
Dear Penny,
There hasn’t been any evidence that teeth whitening weakens dental bonding, so I don’t think that is the issue. If the bond were nearing the end of its lifetime it would be more likely to fall off than to cause any pain.
My feeling is the there is a sensitive area that used to be covered with the bonding but is not exposed. The pain you described is exactly what that would be like. Hopefully, you are having your teeth whitening done under the care of a dentist and can get in rather quickly. Either way, you’ll want to schedule an appointment.
I’d like you to temporarily pause your teeth whitening until you get your appointment. Your dentist can use something to coat the sensitive area that will allow you to resume your whitening pain-free.
One quick word about your teeth whitening with dental bonding. Hopefully, your dentist warned you that while your natural tooth structure will whiten, the bonding material will remain the same color. If you are just trying to get teeth that have picked up some stains since your bonding was placed to match the bonding, then great. No further steps will need to be taken.
However, if you are wanting to get your teeth even whiter than what the bonding originally was, the only way to get the bonding to match will be to have it replaced. You did mention it was nearing its lifespan so that is likely no big deal and a good idea anyway. I just wanted to be sure you knew the limitations.
This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.