The Spotlight On Icon White Spot Removal
The latest dentistry treatments at Abbey Road Dental in St John’s Wood!
Abbey Road Dental is proud to offer patients the latest in dental technology and treatments. We have a wide range of general, cosmetic and restorative treatments that help prevent oral issues, treat any problems and to completely transform the look of the smile if aesthetics are of concern.
Cosmetic dentistry is incredibly popular at our NW8 clinic in St John’s Wood and one of the latest transformative treatments we are proud to offer, is Icon white spot removal.
Harmless white spots on the teeth can be something patients wish they didn’t have and earlier techniques to treat them was typically extensive and often expensive. With Icon, treatment is a lot simpler and much more convenient and we are extremely pleased to offer it here at at Abbey Road Dental.
What Are White Spots On The Teeth?
White spots on the teeth are extremely common and you likely have them yourself, or you know somebody who has them. They don’t necessarily tarnish a smile, but for some people they are a problem and are something they wish was not on their teeth.
It is important to note that the white spots on the teeth are not usually harmful in any way or a sign of any dental problems. They simply signify a loss of minerals on the enamel of the teeth. When they appear, sometimes patients can opt for a teeth whitening treatment which doesn’t actually treat white spots. Teeth still become whiter overall but the white spot remains in place, whiter than the rest of the teeth.
What Is The Cause Of White Spots On The Teeth?
There are lots of causes that teeth can develop white spots and the issue is common. Some of the most common causes of white spots include:
Fluorosis
Fluorosis is a condition caused by the teeth being overexposed to fluoride as children are growing up to the age of 8 years old. This is the period of time when children lose baby teeth and grow their adult teeth, which are particularly sensitive to everything that they come into contact with regularly, including fluoride. When this happens the marks might not be extremely visible but instead they will be visible to the dentist’s trained eye. When the problem is a bit more severe, there might be yellow or brown marks, a difference with the different areas of the tooth surface and even noticeable grooves.
Decalcification
Decalcification is where minerals are lost from the enamel of the teeth, often when fixed braces are being used. Usually during inadequate dental hygiene, when a person has struggled to brush the entire area of the teeth because of the braces, the spots appear. This happens when minerals are slowly lost from the outside of the tooth due to the action of bacterial acidic bi-products. Without proper levels of oral hygiene during brace use, white spots can appear and cause aesthetic issues after treatment is complete.
Molar Incisor Hypoplasia
Molar Incisor Hypoplasia is a condition where teeth are more likely to get cavities and enamel issues. This can be a real issue in children, causing them to suffer more than normal, including dental white spots. The sooner the condition is diagnosed the better, so we can work towards the prevention of cavities and white spots.
Trauma To The Teeth As A Baby
Adult teeth may erupt with white spots because of trauma to the un-erupted teeth when the person was a baby.
Are White Spots On The Teeth Anything To Worry About?
White spots on the teeth are usually an aesthetic issue only and are not a health problem to be concerned about. However, here at Abbey Road Dental we know that patients can struggle to feel confident about their smile because of the white spots, and it can hinder them greatly. Patients may feel so self conscious about this that they cover their smile when speaking. It can also sometimes be a case of a patient feeling that their otherwise nice smile is tarnished.
How Do You Treat White Spots On The Teeth?
Before ‘Icon’ became available, there were sets of treatments that could be recommended to treat white spots on the teeth including:
Enamel Microdermabrasion – Enamel microdermabrasion is where a small layer of the tooth enamel is ground away in order to remove the white spots. Often this kind of treatment is followed by tooth whitening so that the teeth all look the same colour.
Dental Veneers – Veneers can correct the size, shape and colour of the teeth so it makes sense that they would be a great option to correct white spots. For white spots only, however, it can be quite a costly correction treatment.
Fluoride – Topical fluoride may encourage enamel to develop on the teeth, which can help with the prevention of white spots on the teeth.
Cosmetic Bonding – Composite resin can be applied to teeth as a temporary solution to cover the white spots up. The results are not as long-lasting as veneers and cosmetic bonding may not be suitable if you have a lot of white spots. Mostly, white spot treatment has been largely expensive and more involved than necessary for the minimal issues it presents, so until now there hasn’t been a well-suited treatment to offer patients. More often than not, it is usually an issue treated in combination with a number of other cosmetic issues as it doesn’t alone, warrant something as costly and transformative as veneers.
Introducing Icon White Spot Removal At Abbey Road Dental
Abbey Road Dental are excited to offer Icon for patients who want an innovative solution to white spots. Icon is a treatment that removes white spots without any drilling of the tooth or grinding of the tooth enamel at all. Instead, dental science is at its most cutting edge with the Icon treatment, which uses tooth pore infiltration.
A tooth coloured resin is placed within the pores of the entire tooth before being placed under a special light which activates the resin, making it turn into the same shade as the healthy tooth enamel. The entire tooth becomes the same colour, effectively treating the white spot. Even better, the resin protects the tooth from acids that attack enamel, preserving the tooth in the future. The treatment is not invasive at all and there’s no need to even use local anaesthetic. Icon is a fantastic treatment for dental white spots, and a great solution for patients who want to treat this specific problem without any alteration to their natural teeth, or the added expense of much more elaborate treatments.
Get In Touch With Abbey Road Dental About Icon White Spot Removal
If you have white spots on your teeth and you would like effective, targeted treatment to remove them and help your smile reach its full aesthetic potential, please get in touch with Abbey Road Dental about Icon. You can speak to our friendly team on 02076241603 for more information or to book a consultation about the latest in innovative white spot treatment.