I’m often asked, ‘Whats the difference between porcelain veneers and composite bonding?’ Composite are the white fillings dentists do to fill cavities instead of silver amalgam fillings, which contains mercury. So composites have a great place in dentistry. Yet, most people don’t know that the white composite material can also be used for bonding front teeth, so they look better and are more cosmetic.
A Tooth has 9 Lives Just Like a Cat
‘A cat has nine lives and so does a tooth.’ Once a tooth has been worked on 9 or 10 times you are reaching the end of the lifespan of that tooth, and what dentistry can do to save it. Therefore, it behooves the patient and dentist to do what can be done to save tooth structure, because dentistry is not as good as your real teeth. We do our best, but Mother Nature has always had a better plan and better materials to work with. In my experience ‘less is more’ in dentistry.
The primary goal of all dentists is to save teeth, but they are also in business to do more dentistry. The hard reality is the more times you work on a tooth the shorter the lifespan of that tooth. In other words if you work on a tooth too many times, it eventually fails and may need to be extracted.
The Bottom Line About Root Canals and Veneers
The best example of shortening the lifespan of a tooth is doing too many root canals. Root canals are to be avoided whenever possible, as they greatly shorten the lifespan of a tooth. In our practice we try to avoid root canals with ozone and laser biostimulation.
The other example of possibly going too far is cosmetic dentistry. Tooth structure has to be cut away in order to get porcelain veneers or crowns to cover the teeth. A general rule is don’t be too aggressive in removing tooth structure, because it cannot be replaced once gone. Also, keep in mind that all dental work will eventually need to be replaced and then more tooth structure will need to be removed every time you do this.
An Example of Conservative Bonding
Here is an example of what can be done with composite bonding. This patient wanted to do something more conservative than porcelain veneers, which would have required more tooth structure to be removed. The composite layers are thin and we were still able to achieve a very good cosmetic result. The patient was ecstatic, as he got exactly what he wanted.
Here is a patient’s teeth before the bonding was done. As you can see, he was suffering from a non-cosmetic smile due to old bonding coming off, grinding over the years, and appliances that did not fit him. This was clearly a situation where something needed something to be done. It was almost a ‘have to’ rather than a ‘want to’.
As you can see there are often ways to improve your smile and your dental health without having to do aggressive and expensive dental treatment. Another common misconception is that root canals are required most of the time when crowns are done. This is not the case and most of the time it’s avoidable, especially if the tooth is kept cool during the work.
These are just some of the ways we, at Integrative Dentistry, avoid more aggressive dentistry, and thereby potentially shorten the lifespan of a tooth. We also want you to have all your options before proceeding with treatment. Often times, you can do more conservative treatment as outlined above or orthodontics to move your teeth rather than put veneers on them.
Feel free to reach out to us if you would like to discuss your individual situation or would like to set up an consultation/exam with either Dr Evans or Dr ORielly.
Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.
He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.
Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has dedicated himself to learning about oral systemic problems and how dentistry can affect your health. He has applied what he has learned over the last twenty years to ensure he, his staff and his patients are protected from the chemicals and toxic materials found in most dental offices. He has produced an environmentally friendly office that is also peaceful and calm.
He is an expert on dental materials having looked at hundreds of biocompatibility lab tests over the years. He has identified the most bio-friendly materials to use in his practice and which dental materials can be used to replace metal fillings and crowns, including BPA free and fluoride free ‘white’ fillings. He also uses metal-free Zirconia or ceramic implants and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) grafting materials which come from the patient’s own blood.
Dr. O’Rielly teaches C.E. courses on the systemic effects of gum disease. He is an expert in using phase contrast microscopy for analyzing dental infections, where he shows patients what kind of microbes, i.e. bacteria, amoeba, and yeasts like candida are populating the mouth and affecting the body as a whole.
He has an educational blog and is writing a book on dental health called ‘Hidden Dental Infections: Healing Root Canals and Infected Teeth with the Erbium Laser’ where he discusses dental nutrition, toxic dental materials and the effects of old root canals on inflammation and overall health.
