White Spots on Teeth After Orthodontic Treatment, Treated with ICON for White Spot Lesions! @ Daechi-dong Orthodontic Clinic, Yonsei Jeongwon Dental Clinic

Hello, this is Yonsei Jeongwon Dental Clinic, an orthodontic clinic in Daechi-dong.

A white stain on the front teeth is called a white spot, and it is also referred to by terms such as white spot lesion, spotted tooth, and mottled tooth. White spots are the result of a congenital structural defect that occurs in the enamel, the outermost layer of the tooth, during the period when the tooth is forming, causing insufficient calcification. When the tooth is being formed, light reflects off the less-calcified enamel layer, making it appear white.

White spot lesions can also develop later. If a child younger than 6, when permanent teeth are developing inside the gums, consumes too much fluoride, fluorosis may appear in the permanent teeth. They can also occur if a primary tooth is traumatized or develops a cavity and the tooth bud of the permanent tooth inside the gums is damaged.

In addition, after orthodontic treatment that uses brackets bonded to the tooth surface, if proper brushing is not done around the appliance, plaque can accumulate on the teeth. If the plaque is not removed properly, the tooth surface may start to demineralize and turn white, resulting in a white spot as an early stage of tooth decay caused by demineralization of the tooth surface.

In such cases, after the brackets are removed, the square base shape of the appliance remains, and the surrounding area is left as an early white area of decay. The teeth may have been nicely aligned, but it is truly disappointing when white spot lesions appear. Fortunately, white spot lesions that develop after orthodontic treatment respond well to ICON treatment.

White spots that appeared after orthodontic treatment

White Spot Treatment Methods

The methods for treating white spots are as follows.

• Resin: One method is to grind away the area with the white spot (white stain) and fill it with resin. However, this is an invasive treatment because the affected area must be removed, and the treated area may discolor or come off.

• Laminate veneer: White spots can also be improved with laminate veneers. The esthetic improvement is better than with resin, but the drawback is that the tooth still has to be filed down, and the treatment cost can also be more burdensome than resin.

• ICON resin infiltration: The third method is resin infiltration treatment, in which a special resin is infiltrated into the porous structure of the demineralized tooth without shaving the tooth or using anesthesia. Resin infiltration treatment can be performed with ICON (Infiltration CONcept) resin. In addition to white spots, there are also brown spots. These occur when organic proteins that cause staining enter the porous structure of the white spot. If the brown spot is severe, it is more effective to first reduce the dark areas of the brown spot through whitening, and then perform ICON treatment two weeks later.

This female patient in her 20s kindly came all the way from Gyeonggi-do to our dental clinic about a month after finishing orthodontic treatment because white spots had appeared on her front teeth. In general, white spot lesions that appear after orthodontic treatment develop around the shape of the appliance, but in this patient, a white spot appeared in the central area of the two front teeth, though not severely.

Before and after ICON treatment

These are photos immediately after ICON treatment. Since ICON treatment does not require filing down the tooth, one advantage is that it can be performed easily without anesthesia in about 20 to 30 minutes. During ICON treatment, the teeth must be kept completely dry, so the teeth may temporarily appear chalky white. However, in the natural oral environment with saliva, they look much more aesthetically natural than in the photos, and after about 1 to 2 weeks, they look even more natural. The patient’s first words after looking in the mirror for the first time right after treatment were also, "Wow!" :)

ICON treatment is

not something that absolutely must be done!

However, most people who come in for ICON treatment say they did not know that these white spots on their teeth could be removed simply without filing down the teeth, and they describe getting rid of these white spots as a lifelong wish (?). While it cannot completely eliminate white spots 100% the way covering them with resin or laminate veneers after filing down the teeth can, if about 80% of the spots can be removed with a simple treatment that does not require anesthesia, it can truly be called a treatment with excellent satisfaction.

We want to help patients regain the confidence to smile brightly without covering their mouths.

Yonsei Jeongwon Dental Clinic is close to Samseong Station, Hagyeoul Station, Daechi Station, and Hanti Station, and parking is convenient, making it very easy to visit from Samseong-dong, Daechi-dong, and Gaepo-dong.