How to fix teeth damaged from braces

My daughter has damage to her front teeth from braces. They have suggested veneers for her in a few years. Can veneers be placed on front teeth with fillings in them and how will this affect her dental future? Very angry at how uneducated We were by the Orhtodontist and how little they monitored her teeth. Unsure how to even handle it, but know we need to research as much as we can for the future. Thank you in advance for your help.
– Kaye from Wyoming

Your situation sounds upsetting. And, on top of that, in Wyoming it may be a long drive to find a good cosmetic dentist. I wouldn’t ask your regular family dentist to do this treatment for you. Cosmetic dentistry really requires a dentist who has strong artistic inclinations, and the vast majority of dentists, while they are excellent technicians, simply aren’t artistic enough to create a beautiful smile.

I’m guessing that the damage to the teeth is from decalcification, and that you’re upset that they didn’t warn you about this and let you know partway through her treatment that this was going on. When food debris collects around the brackets, it promotes these decalcification spots which can be unsightly when the brackets are removed.

A good cosmetic dentist will want to be as conservative as possible in fixing this. Depending on the extent of the spots, she could need porcelain veneers (yes, porcelain veneers can be placed over fillings), or maybe just some direct dental bonding on just the spots.

If they are done well, porcelain veneers are conservative. They involve just shaving about 1/2 millimeter from the front of the tooth and replacing that tooth structure with enamel. There are even ultra-thin veneers available, and sometimes they can be placed without any shaving. They can last 10-20-30 years. And direct bonding would be even more conservative.

I hope this is helpful.