Time has certainly flown by and we are now in full swing into a new decade! We forgot to posy our case of the month for December but it is one worth waiting for. The case involves ICON treatment to treat very opaque white areas on the upper front central teeth. Now white areas on teeth are generally not a biological issue but they can be unsightly and have an affect on smiling with confidence. In the past, the treatment for such areas was to cut away the whiter area and then place a filling to mimic the adjacent tooth structure or place porcelain veneers. However, the major issue with this is that this involves drilling away sound tooth which can never be replaced. There will always be the issue of maintenance and replacement fillings or veneers over time. Drilling can be traumatic to the pulp (nerve and blood supply) and if this can be avoided, our advice is to be minimal and less destructive. ICON treatment involves a process called 'resin infiltration'. In simple terms, the areas are washed and dried in a specific manner to open the white areas to resin application to hide the lesions. Here are the before and after results:
White areas on the front central teeth which are obvious affected our patients confidence on smiling.
After ICON treatment. The areas are almost completely hidden with NO drilling at all of the tooth surface.
We advise tooth whitening prior to the treatment so that the shade of the teeth is improved and this will enhance the affect of the ICON process. In general, a take home kit is sufficient for this with a total time frame of 14-21 days 1 hour per day or overnight. This process is completely pain free and can be maintained with ease. Minimally invasive dentistry at it's very best.
Treatment completed by Dr Nissit Patel. e info@progressivedentistry.co.uk t 0207 7311162