Stains after braces

Horse_box

Hi all,

I've just got my braces off after the guts of 3 years! They look great but there are stains left on one of my top teeth which is visible when I smile. It's nearly like a very shallow cavity on the front part of my tooth.

Could anyone in the know tell me how a dentist goes about getting rid ot these types of stains? I doubt a whitening would work because as I said, it's almost like a tiny cavity. Do they need to fill this or is there another way around it?

Cheers

DaveTwenty7

Probably just needs a minimal bonded composite (white filling)

day dreamer

Horsebox

What you have is probably called decalcification and you get it when you have braces on but didnt brush certain areas very well. It is a form of early tooth decay

You may not need a filling, the marks usually fade over time but they are permanent. Keep the area very clean, use toothpaste but not fluoride rinses. If there is decay or a cavity then you will need a filling. Other options are try to abrade the area and remove the stain that way, bleaching may be an option but not for a while yet

Horse_box

day dreamer wrote: »

Horsebox

What you have is probably called decalcification and you get it when you have braces on but didnt brush certain areas very well. It is a form of early tooth decay

You may not need a filling, the marks usually fade over time but they are permanent. Keep the area very clean, use toothpaste but not fluoride rinses. If there is decay or a cavity then you will need a filling. Other options are try to abrade the area and remove the stain that way, bleaching may be an option but not for a while yet

Thanks for the reply, appreciate it

Yeah that would make sense as it was the hardest part of the tooth to access for brushing. I have a check-up booked for next week with my general dentist so she should be able to tell me if there is any need for filling. Hopefully abrading the tooth will work as it seems to just on the surface.

Also my orthodontist recommended fluoride mouth washes while I had the braces on. Was this a bad call?

day dreamer

The rinses during treatment are essential and standard advice.

The reason not to use the rinses afterwards is that they can remineralise very quickly, this will harden the area rapidly and stop decay but the mark can darken or go brown. If you keep meticulous oral hygiene and use fluoride toothpaste it should remineralise too but more slowly and hopefully the marks will fade.