How Long Does Resin Infiltration Last?
Resin infiltration is a restorative dentistry treatment that is minimally invasive, requiring no anesthesia or drilling, that can effectively treat white spots on a person’s teeth. These spots are called white-spot lesions, enamel bruising, and hypo spots, and they are caused by problems with the dental enamel, trauma to the teeth, or defects created while the secondary teeth are still developing in the jaw. White-spot lesions appear when there is diminished enamel, which affects the way the surfaces of the teeth reflect light by exposing a layer of mineral material, and they also appear if the teeth lack certain minerals, like calcium, while they’re developing in the jaw.
The resin infiltration treatment is a long-lasting treatment that lasts at least two years, though treatment results often last six years or more, unlike many teeth-whitening procedures that are considered temporary and require frequent reapplication. When people with white-spot lesions use teeth-whitening or teeth-bleaching treatments, the white spots appear even more vivid, while resin infiltration restores the cohesive color of the teeth; teeth that have had resin infiltration treatments can also be whitened safely, effectively, and consistently once the hypo spots have been corrected. Sometimes, at-home whitening products could cause white-spot lesions to reappear, but this is temporary and can be expected to self correct within a day or two.
To maintain the longevity of resin infiltration treatments, aftercare and oral hygiene are important. For a few days following treatment, patients should avoid darkly colored and highly acidic foods and beverages; your dentist will review your specific aftercare instructions with you. If the gums are irritated after treatment, rinsing with warm salt water can be soothing, and you should take care to brush softly and gently and eat softer foods until this irritation resolves over the course of a few days. Make sure to keep the gums and teeth healthy, now that they look so good, by brushing your teeth at least twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush fluoride toothpaste, focusing especially on the teeth at the gum line, and floss the teeth daily to keep the teeth and gums free of bacterial plaque. See your dentist for regular checkups and professional cleanings, too; this helps keep the teeth and gums healthy and also ensures you’ll be in good hands throughout the lifespan of your treatment. Because ICON resin infiltration is non-invasive and convenient, it can be repeated as often as needed, helping protect the teeth and maintain their appearance for a lifetime.
While ICON resin infiltration was initially used primarily to repair tooth decay on the surfaces of the teeth, cosmetic resin infiltration treatments are considerably less invasive, and also less expensive, than dental fillings or veneers. Resin infiltration treatments can also be performed earlier in the development of the tooth than dental veneers, which can only be applied when the teeth have fully developed.
To begin a resin infiltration treatment, which can usually be done in under an hour and requires no drilling or anesthesia, the dentist will first clean the teeth. Then, they will remove the external layer of enamel, allowing calcium and minerals to enter the teeth, and replace the enamel with a resin substance that fills the porous areas of material and protects it from demineralization and decay. Excess material is removed and the resin is cured with an ultraviolet light, and additional layers are added, sculpted, and cured as needed to fully restore the appearance of the tooth.