Treat White Spots on Teeth Without Drilling
Icon Smooth Surface is a micro-invasive resin infiltration treatment that arrests early white spot lesions and improves their appearance — in one visit, with no drilling and no anesthesia.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Boris Zusin, DDS, FAGD, MBA, MS, Diplomate, American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) · Last reviewed July 31, 2026
A No-Drill Option for Early White Spots
White spots on teeth are extremely common, whether left behind by braces or Invisalign, caused by mild fluorosis, or caught as the very earliest sign of decay at a routine exam. Until recently, the main options were watching and waiting, fluoride, or a more invasive fix like microabrasion or a filling. Icon Smooth Surface, made by DMG America, offers a middle path: a single-visit, chairside treatment that infiltrates the lesion with a clear resin, stopping it from progressing while improving how it looks — without removing any tooth structure.
Am I a Candidate?
Icon works well for:
- White spots left behind after finishing braces or Invisalign
- Mild fluorosis spots that are cosmetically bothersome
- Early, non-cavitated smooth-surface or between-teeth decay caught at a routine exam
It's not a substitute for a filling once a lesion has cavitated (an actual hole in the tooth) or reached into the dentin — those cases need traditional restorative treatment. See our tooth-colored fillings page for that scenario.
Icon vs. Microabrasion vs. Fluoride vs. Drilling
There's more than one way to treat a white spot on a tooth — the right one depends on how deep the lesion actually is.
| Icon Resin Infiltration | Microabrasion | Fluoride / Remineralization | Traditional Filling (Drilling) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | A low-viscosity resin infiltrates the porous lesion by capillary action, sealing and stabilizing it from within | An acid-and-pumice paste mechanically wears away a thin layer of the stained outer enamel | Fluoride helps re-harden very early, weakened enamel from the outside in | Decayed structure is drilled out and the tooth is rebuilt with composite or another restorative material |
| Removes tooth structure? | No — nothing is drilled or removed | Yes — a thin layer of enamel (usually well under a millimeter) | No | Yes — both decayed and some healthy structure, to prepare the tooth |
| Anesthesia needed? | No | No | No | Usually yes |
| Arrests decay progression? | Yes — this is its primary purpose, supported by clinical research | No — cosmetic only | Only for the very earliest, weakest lesions | Yes — decay is physically removed |
| Best for | Non-cavitated white spots — post-orthodontic, mild fluorosis, or early smooth-surface decay | Superficial, shallow discoloration where masking is the main goal | Lesions caught extremely early, before real structural damage | Lesions that have progressed to an actual cavity (hole) in the tooth |
| Visits needed | One | One, sometimes with a touch-up | Ongoing, over months | One, typically |
Icon is not a substitute for a filling once a lesion has cavitated — at that stage, the tooth needs traditional restorative treatment. Dr. Boris Zusin will confirm which category your lesion falls into with an exam and, if needed, an x-ray before recommending a treatment.
How the Treatment Works
Icon Smooth Surface is a resin infiltration system made by DMG America — currently the only product of its kind available in the U.S. The procedure is done chairside in a single visit, in three steps:
- Etch. A mild gel is applied to the lesion for about two minutes to open up the porous surface layer, then rinsed off.
- Dry. The tooth is dehydrated with a drying solution, which also gives Dr. Boris Zusin a preview of roughly how the tooth will look once treated.
- Infiltrate. A low-viscosity resin is applied and allowed to soak into the lesion by capillary action, then hardened with a curing light. This resin fills the porous, weakened structure inside the lesion — not just the surface — which is what stabilizes it and blocks further decay.
No drilling, no anesthetic injection, and no numb lip or cheek afterward — you can eat and go about your day right after the appointment.
Care From a Team That Knows You
Dr. Boris Zusin is an expert in general, cosmetic, implant, and dental sleep medicine, with 30+ years of clinical experience and ongoing continuing education. Lena Zusin, RDH works alongside him to make every visit as warm and comfortable as possible.
“Drawing upon our combined skills refined through years of experience and continued education, Lena and I will do everything possible to ensure that your entire dental experience at our office is as good as possible.” — Dr. Boris Zusin
- Uncompromising clinical excellence
- Meticulous attention to detail
- A gentle approach to dentistry
FAQ: Icon® White Spot Treatment at Zusin Dental, NYC
Icon is a resin infiltration system that treats early, non-cavitated white spot lesions — the chalky white or discolored areas that show up before a cavity actually forms — without drilling or anesthesia. A specially formulated resin is infiltrated into the porous, weakened enamel, sealing it from within to stop the lesion from progressing and improving how it looks.
No. There's no drilling and no need for a numbing injection, since no tooth structure is being cut. Most patients describe it as similar to having a sealant or a routine filling prep — without the drilling part.
The most common causes are plaque that built up around orthodontic brackets or aligner trays and demineralized the enamel underneath, mild fluorosis from childhood fluoride exposure, and very early decay caught before it becomes an actual cavity. Icon is well suited to the first two, and can arrest the third when it's genuinely non-cavitated.
No — Icon is specifically for non-cavitated lesions, meaning the enamel surface is still intact even though it's demineralized underneath. Once a lesion has broken through into an actual cavitated hole, or decay has reached into the dentin, it needs a traditional filling instead. Part of your exam is determining which category a spot falls into before recommending treatment.
Microabrasion mechanically removes a thin layer of the stained enamel with an acid-and-pumice paste — it can improve appearance but doesn't arrest any underlying decay and does remove some tooth structure. Whitening evens out color across the whole tooth but won't address a lesion's structure at all. Icon is the only one of the three that both treats the lesion itself and preserves 100% of the existing tooth structure.
The procedure itself typically takes well under an hour and is completed in a single visit. Clinical studies have shown the color improvement to remain stable for two years and beyond, and we'll keep an eye on the treated area at your regular cleanings.
Resin infiltration has its own dental billing code (CDT D2990), and coverage varies significantly by plan — some carriers treat it as a preventive benefit, others don't cover it at all. We're happy to check your specific benefits before your visit.
Good candidates include patients with white spots left behind after braces or Invisalign, mild fluorosis spots that bother them cosmetically, and early smooth-surface decay caught at a routine exam before it's cavitated. The best way to know for sure is a quick exam.
Learn More From Our Blog
Sources
- Resin Infiltration of Non-Cavitated Caries Lesions: A Systematic Review — Medical Principles and Practice (2015)
- Resin Infiltration of Non-Cavitated Proximal Caries Lesions in Primary and Permanent Teeth: A Systematic Review and Scenario Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials — Journal of Clinical Medicine, MDPI (2023)
- Efficacy of Resin Infiltration to Mask Post-Orthodontic or Non-Post-Orthodontic White Spot Lesions or Fluorosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Clinical Oral Investigations (2021)
- Resin Infiltration Versus Fluoride Varnish for Visual Improvement of White Spot Lesions During Multibracket Treatment: A Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trial — Clinical Oral Investigations (2024)
- The Hydrochloric Acid-Pumice Microabrasion Technique in the Treatment of Post-Orthodontic Decalcification — Welbury RR, Carter NE, British Journal of Orthodontics (1993)
- Treating White Spot Lesions with Icon — DMG America (manufacturer resource)
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