How to Fix Pitted Teeth?

Enamel is the protective outer covering of the tooth. This tough shell is the hardest material in your body. Enamel covers the crown which is the part of the tooth that is visible above the gums.

Enamel helps protect your teeth from everyday use such as biting, chewing, crunching, and grinding. Even though enamel is a hard protector of your teeth, it can still chip and crack. Enamel also insulates your teeth from potentially uncomfortable temperatures and damaging chemicals. When the enamel erodes, you notice that you become more sensitive to hot or cold foods, drinks, and sweets, since they can now get through holes in the enamel and affect the nerves inside.

Because of these surface irregularities, these teeth can have dental problems, such as increased sensitivity to heat, cold, or pain, more prone to wearing down, more susceptible to an acid attack from sugars in our foods and drinks, more susceptible to harboring plaque and bacteria, and more prone to tooth decay.
Fixing Pitted, Chipped, or Broken Teeth with Bonding or Veneers

If you or your child’s teeth are pitted, chipped, or broken, you can often improve the smile with tooth bonding or veneers.

* The Basics of Dental Bonding and Veneers- Both bonding and veneers can restore the natural shape and improve the appearance of teeth that are pitted, chipped, broken, discolored, or damaged. Along with improving your or your child’s appearance, these treatments will also boost your confidence and help you feel good about your smile. Both treatments are effective, and they have their unique advantages, which might affect your final decision.

* Dental Veneers- Veneers are thin shells of tooth-colored porcelain or composite resin that are bonded onto the teeth to hide dental defects. Porcelain veneers are custom-made in a dental lab and will require a few visits to be created and placed. Composite resin veneers involve bonding enamel right onto the tooth and only require one visit. Both options require removal of some of the natural tooth structure.

If you or your child have veneers you will see a dramatic improvement in the appearance of your smile. Both types help severely damaged teeth and are stain-resistant but differ in their strength and cost. Composite veneers last five to seven years and are more affordable. If you choose porcelain veneers, the teeth can remain strong for 10 to 15 years, but the endurance of the porcelain will come with a higher cost.

* Tooth Bonding- In teeth bonding, your dentist applies a composite resin onto the teeth to correct any dental damage and improve the overall shape. The treatment includes the use of a mild etching solution onto the surface of the teeth to help the bonding resin adhere. The bonding resin is then sculpted and shaped onto the tooth and cured with a special light.

Dental bonding is usually performed in a single visit with extraordinarily little alteration to the natural structure of the tooth. It is extraordinarily strong and less costly than veneers, which makes it a popular option.

Pits in Tooth Enamel