If you were exposed to too much fluoride when you were a young child, your adult teeth may have been affected and you may have fluorosis damage or stains. While some minor fluorosis stains don't affect the cosmetic appearance of your teeth too much, others may be an unsightly brown colour that makes your teeth look badly discoloured. Your dentist may be able to fix these stains with microabrasion. How does this treatment work and will it fix your fluorosis stains?
How Microabrasion Works
During a microabrasion procedure, your dentist will use abrasive materials to rub away the top layers of the enamel on a stained tooth. According to the Better Health Channel, this typically involves applying an abrasive paste that is also acidic.
While regular cleaning won't work on these kinds of stains, which appear inside the enamel rather than on top of it, an abrasive clean may give you better results by removing the layers of the tooth that hold the stain. Once these layers are gone, the stain goes with them.
Does Microabrasion Work on All Fluorosis Stains?
Microabrasion works well on some fluorosis stains and not so well on others. For example, if your staining is contained with the very top layers of your enamel, this treatment may be an effective way of removing these stains.
However, microabrasion may not be able to remove larger stains that are deep-seated further inside your tooth. Using microabrasion on these stains may involve removing more enamel than is considered safe. According to Dental Economics, microabrasion is typically limited to removing up to 0.2mm of enamel. If your fluorosis stains go deeper than this, microabrasion alone may not be the best option.
Mixing Microabrasion With Other Treatments
If microabrasion alone won't fix your fluorosis staining, your dentist may recommend using the procedure in tandem with another treatment to deal with the stain more effectively. For example, you may be advised to add a bleaching procedure to the tooth after its surface layers have been removed to whiten the deeper elements of the stain. Alternatively, you may need to have the tooth bonded after microabrasion to add a white resin to the tooth to cover up the deeper internal stain.
Alternatives to Microabrasion
If microabrasion or a combined treatment plan isn't likely to deal with your fluorosis stains, your dentist may advise alternative treatments. For example, you can cover up stains rather than removing them with veneers or crowns.
For more information, contact a practice that specializes in cosmetic dentistry.
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