The short version
- Decay, gum disease and hairline fractures are usually invisible early on.
- None of the three change the color of a tooth in their early stages.
- Whitening and veneers treat appearance. Neither treats any of the three.
- Cosmetic work placed over an untreated problem conceals it.
- An examination finds what a mirror cannot. That is the whole point of one.
- Decay
- Often invisible
- Gum disease
- Painless early
- Fractures
- Can be hidden
- Color tells you
- Nothing
A bright white smile looks healthy. That is not the same as being healthy, and the gap between the two is where most dental problems start.
What color does not tell you
Three conditions are common, consequential and usually invisible to anyone not trained to look for them.
Tooth decay begins between and beneath the visible surfaces, long before anything shows on the front of a tooth. By the time it is visible to you, it is generally well established.
Periodontal disease affects the gum and the bone holding the tooth rather than the tooth itself. Its early stage does not hurt, which is the whole reason people live with it unknowingly.
Hairline fractures can run through a tooth that looks completely intact. They are frequently painless until the crack reaches the nerve, at which point the treatment is considerably larger.
None of the three change the color of a tooth in their early stages. A patient whose teeth are white has no more information about any of them than a patient whose teeth are not.
Why this matters before cosmetic treatment
Cosmetic dentistry does not treat any of the three.
Whitening lifts stain from enamel. Veneers cover the front surface of a tooth. Neither addresses decay, gum disease or a fracture, and neither slows any of them down.
Placing cosmetic work over an untreated problem conceals it. The problem carries on underneath, and it is harder to spot afterwards because the surface that would have shown it has been covered.
This is why an examination comes before whitening or veneers rather than after, and why a consultation frequently turns up something the patient did not come in about.
What an examination finds that a mirror does not
- Decay between teeth and beneath existing fillings, which is where most of it is
- Gum pockets and bone loss, measured rather than eyeballed
- Fractures, wear facets and the grinding pattern that caused them
- Bite problems that will shorten the life of any cosmetic work placed on top
- Soft tissue changes
Where something needs treating, it gets treated first. Where nothing does, the cosmetic work proceeds knowing the foundation is sound, which is worth something on its own.
The other direction
It is worth saying the reverse too, because people worry about it.
Yellowing is not by itself a sign of disease. Enamel thins with age and lets more of the yellower dentine underneath show through. That is a normal change, and it is one of the things whitening and veneers genuinely address.
Teeth that look healthy and teeth that are healthy should be the same set of teeth. Getting there is the point of the appointment.
Booking an examination
Sarasota Smile Design is on Clark Road in Sarasota, a short drive from Nokomis, Osprey and Venice. Open Monday to Thursday, 8am to 4pm.
Call 941-927-5411, or see what the practice treats and teeth whitening.
