I totally get where you’re coming from—my front tooth has a small bonding too, and I worry about the same thing every time I think about whitening. My dentist brushed right past it as well, which made me a bit uneasy. I actually held off on whitening because I kept picturing that weird mismatch in photos. But I’ve heard from a few people that sometimes the difference isn’t as obvious as we imagine, especially in everyday life. Maybe we just notice it more because we’re hyper-aware? Still, I wish dentists would talk about this stuff up front... It seems like such an easy thing to address before starting.
But I’ve heard from a few people that sometimes the difference isn’t as obvious as we imagine, especially in everyday life. Maybe we just notice it more because we’re hyper-aware?
Honestly, I’m not sure I buy that. I get that maybe we obsess more than others, but after my friend whitened her teeth with bonding on her front tooth, there was a definite mismatch—like, it showed in pics and even in person if you looked for more than a second. Maybe it depends on the color difference or lighting, but I’d rather be cautious. Dentists really should mention this before pushing whitening. It’s not just in our heads if you ask me.
it showed in pics and even in person if you looked for more than a second
Yeah, I totally get what you mean. My cousin did the pro whitening thing and suddenly her crown looked like it belonged to someone else’s mouth. Maybe we do notice our own teeth more, but honestly, when there’s a big shade jump, it’s not just in your head. Plus, who wants to drop all that cash and end up with a patchwork smile? I wish dentists would be a bit more upfront about this stuff... saves everyone some awkward selfies.
That’s exactly what I’m worried about—my front tooth has a tiny filling and now I’m paranoid it’ll stick out like a sore thumb if I go through with whitening. My luck, I’ll end up looking like I’ve got a polka dot smile...
my front tooth has a tiny filling and now I’m paranoid it’ll stick out like a sore thumb if I go through with whitening. My luck, I’ll end up looking like I’ve got a polka dot smile...
I get where you’re coming from—my dentist actually warned me about this exact thing. Here’s what I did: first, I asked if my filling would change color with the whitening (spoiler: nope, it won’t). Next, I tried one of those whitening strips just to see if there’d be a huge difference. The rest of my teeth got a little brighter, but the filling stayed the same shade. It wasn’t super obvious, but under certain lights… yeah, you could tell. Not quite “polka dot,” but definitely not invisible.
If you’re really worried, maybe ask your dentist if they can swap out the filling after whitening? That’s what I’m considering, but honestly, I’m still weighing if it’s worth the hassle. Anyone else notice their fillings standing out more after whitening, or am I just overthinking this?