Prominent white spots on the front teeth
This young patient, who was about to get married, had always felt self-conscious about the prominent white spots on her front teeth.
A white spot is an area of less mineralised enamel, which scatters light differently from healthy enamel. Its depth is what guides the treatment.
Three steps, from the lightest to the most targeted
A minimally invasive approach was chosen, to preserve as much tooth tissue as possible.
Treatment was therefore carried out in three phases: the overall shade first, then the white lesions, and finally only the deepest defects.
Whiten, infiltrate, then layer
The three phases of treatment:
At-home whitening: carried out over three weeks with custom trays, it evened out the overall shade of the smile and reduced the contrast between the white lesions and the tooth colour.
Resin infiltration (Icon technique): the white lesions were treated on 11, 21 and 22, that is, the two upper central incisors and the upper left lateral incisor.
Micro-layering: aesthetic composite was placed locally on 11 and 22, where the defects were deepest.
A brighter, more even smile
A minimally invasive approach that gave this patient a brighter, more even smile, while preserving as much tooth tissue as possible.
Individual result: the question “Does whitening damage the teeth?” is covered in the Journal, and another case of white spots treated with whitening then infiltration is presented among the stain treatments.
