Sillim-dong Dental Clinic, Has Your Restoration Changed Color?

Hello, I am Kang Dong-ho, the director of Yonsei U-line Dental Clinic Sillim Branch, located in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu.

Today, I would like to talk about why discoloration can occur after prosthetic treatment.

In fact, resin treatment is a procedure in which the technique itself is extremely important.

In other words, the treatment results may vary depending on the treating dentist’s technique and precision.

Some people use their resin restorations for a long time without any major problems. On the other hand, discoloration may appear not long after treatment.

This inevitably varies depending on each patient’s oral condition, lifestyle habits, and the sensitivity of the material used for the treatment.

Resin treatment is relatively sensitive to the operator’s technique, so a precise procedure is required.

The patient’s dietary habits also have an effect.

For people who frequently drink coffee, tea, or wine, or who smoke, staining can occur easily along the boundary between the resin and the tooth.

This type of staining can be improved at a dental clinic through simple polishing or stain removal. However, for overall aesthetics, I generally recommend replacing the restoration about once every five years.

I have also had resin treatment, but even though the color has changed in a highly visible area such as the upper front teeth, I do not particularly mind it, so I continue to use it as it is.

However, if you consider aesthetics important, periodic replacement or maintenance will be necessary.

When it comes to inlays or veneers, the situation becomes somewhat more complicated.

For example, in the case of veneers, they can be used for a long time if they are well made and bonded precisely.

The important question is “what the veneers are made of.”

The material may be designed with a focus on strength, or it may be a material that offers advantages in bonding.

The greater the bonding strength, the better suited the material is to thin veneers, and the possibility of breakage is also reduced.

Conversely, if the material is excessively hard but has poor bonding strength, it may easily come off or fracture after bonding due to external impact.

In the past, it was also common for veneers to come off in one piece, much like a fingernail. In most cases, this was because the bonding process or material selection was inappropriate.

The same applies to ceramic inlays.

Just because something is ceramic does not necessarily mean it is always better. If it is too hard, it may even damage the tooth, and there may also be cases where it does not bond well.

For this reason, I generally do not recommend ceramic inlays, and provide them selectively only when patients request them.

In conclusion, problems such as discoloration, detachment, or fracture after prosthetic treatment do not simply depend on the material itself. They vary according to “which material is used and how it is used,” as well as the patient’s lifestyle habits and maintenance.

When the characteristics of the material, the operator’s technique, and the patient’s cooperation work together harmoniously, the lifespan of the restoration can be considerably longer.