So, I am getting new teeth and I have some concerns hopefully you guys can weigh in on. I will get to the part where this relates to sleeve surgery later in the post, lol. If you have veneers or a full arch of crowns and don’t want to read this long post, please skip to the second to last paragraph and maybe give me your thoughts on why you picked the shade you did.

To be fair, I have teeth and they work fine, however I recently had two very new crowns in the front of my mouth fall out, so I decided to go to a new dentist who is hopefully a bit more competent than the last one. As it turns out, I am a grinder in the bedroom, and not the good kind either, the kind that apparently wore my teeth down to teeth that look like an 80 year old person in my early 30’s. I have stress fractures in all of my teeth to the point that the recommendation was made to replace several of them with crowns, and in the process redo the top row of my mouth, have invisalign, and then finish out a bridge in the back of my mouth after my teeth are straightened and replaced. My parents took me to the dentist when I was a kid and I never had any major issues, however thanks to the fact that I guess I have ground away all of my enamel, fixing everything at once so the finished version actually works together instead of doing it in piecemeal seemed like a good idea. The fact that my bottom teeth are a little crooked didn’t really bother me and I didn’t even notice that my upper teeth were not the “u” shape they were supposed to be, however given I had a small luxury car in plastics done about 18 months ago, I figured why not make my head match the rest of me, or at least my teeth.

Also, here’s the part that relates to our surgery, I have apparently wicked issues along the gum line that the doctor asked me if I had gastric reflux. I don’t, however I spent year 1-2.5 barfing my guts out a few times a week (sometimes a few times a day) because my sleeve hated food. I have since figured out that it tolerates crackers and chicken, but it took awhile to not be yakking all the time. As it turns out, that little bit of gastric Fluid in the form of barf, was enough to kill my teeth. My previous x-rays and images from before sleeve surgery had none of the issues that they have now, which means in less than 18 months of puking, I ruined the bases of my teeth. So, for anyone who has barfing issues or has issues with bulimia, that can be an outcome…although if you brush your teeth after you puke, that apparently minimizes most of the damage.

Moving on…I can’t decide on a color. Dental work is ungodly expensive and if I am paying what this is going to cost, I want brilliant, gleaming, Chiclet teeth. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot of help online about color shade results. So, has anyone had veneers or crowns where you chose between either Bl1 or Bl2 or 0M1 or 0.5M1? Much as I want insanely white teeth, I would rather not totally glow in the dark, however I have read several reviews where people were bummed that they didn’t go for the whitest shade possible. If it helps, I am really pale, not albino or red-haired Irish pale, but I’m a distant cousin to Casper, so I can go with a really white shade, I just can’t decide which.

So…I am getting new teeth. I got new boobs and a new butt and new arms and a new stomach, so why not get new teeth, right? I want to wear bright red lipstick and smile widely without wondering if people are thinking that my teeth are a little yellow. Before the sleeve, I would never have bothered spending this much for a cosmetic procedure because my thought process was that until I was thin, I could spend money on the gym and everything else was just lipstick on a pig. I feel thankful everyday that the sleeve has let me finally live a life that I don’t feel like my worth is entirely eliminated by my size. Hopefully this time in two weeks I will have a gleaming white smile and be complaining about how Invisalign hurts my mouth, lol.

@@higher

Thanks for the wax liner tip! I looked a little like a clown yesterday when I tried on my new red lipstick, so clearly I need the liner, lol. The whitening they included for my bottom teeth so it matches the top ones is the Zoom done at the dentist. On one hand, I'm dreading it because it's going to hurt a lot, but at least then it's all over with in 45 minutes and I don't have to torture myself at home.

@@AvaFern

Did you go ahead with your dental work? I'm a bit late (2 months!) to this conversation, but I practiced dentistry for over 20 years.

Teeth color, provided you didn't have internal staining from antibiotics or fluorosis, is TYPICALLY directly correlated to skin tones, believe it or not.

In this century, whitening products, be it over the counter or dispensed by a licensed clinician, are readily available and very potent. With exposed root surfaces, sensitivity can be horrid. Be certain you're using some form of sensitivity-reducing paste, or better yet, prescription strength stannous fluoride gel. This gel can cause some staining, but it is extrinsic- can easily be removed and the benefits are permanent. You will also benefit from the addition of a topical fluoride because the root surfaces of teeth do not have enamel and therefore caries- cavities- can not only begin faster, but the growth rate of them is exponentially greater.

Anyway- I hope if you had this all done you achieved the desired results! Nothing is as lovely as a beautiful smile

Lisa

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@@LisaMergs

Yes! I actually just got my permanent new fake teeth last week. The entire experience was completely ridiculous, so I'm mostly just glad I never have to go to that dentist again. I was assured they would be perfectly straight and they absolutely are not, but on a good note, I totally picked the right color! They look real, yet a lovely white.

@@AvaFern

sorry things didn't go as well as planned

permanent fake teeth?? LOL

glad you like the white color

NSV

I had my front teeth capped after i reached GOAL

Wanted to do this for a long time, didn't want to spend the money

i finally realized i am worthy!!!

now, i continue to look cute as a button - with a nice smile

kathy

Distant cousin to Casper lol good luck with the decision!

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Hi there! I have worked in the dental field for over 15 yrs and have seen some of everything. Considering your complexion, if you go too white, they will appear to have a greyish hue. In my opinion, I would go with the BL3 or BL4. Still beautifully white but won't look like that episode of Friends. If you are having Invisalign done, I would do that first then crown your teeth. After all is said and done, I would have them make you a night/ day guard depending on when you grind. I am not a dentist but I hope this helps

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