Teeth Whitening

I thought I would write a little bit about teeth whitening,  I’ve seen a lot of advertisements and there are a lot of products and information and also misinformation.  Teeth whitening is big business, people spend over $1.4 billion on over-the-counter tooth whitening products.  That doesn’t even include any professional whitening in a dentist’s office.  Magazines and photos of models and celebrities with perfect bright white teeth have given us a desire to get our teeth looking like that.  Unfortunately, many times those models have veneers to get their teeth to such a white color or the photos are retouched.  Whitening teeth will remove any stain that has built up over time and restore your teeth to a natural tooth color.

Smoking, getting older, drinking coffee, red wine or even taking certain prescription medications can change the appearance of one’s teeth.  Some of these stains can be bleached with whitening while others such as staining from taking the antibiotic tetracycline as a child cannot be whitened.  Consulting with a dental professional is the best way to determine what tooth whitening would be best for your type of staining.

Whitening your teeth is a great way to enhance your smile, however there are some cautions… over whitening can cause sensitive teeth and gums and even turn teeth translucent or even blue.  We usually recommend waiting six months between bleaching treatments.  Whitening after your dental cleaning is a great way, because then you start with a clean tooth and allow the whitening medicine direct contact with the tooth.  Also it is not safe to use these products if you have any cavities or sores in your mouth.  A routine check-up with a dentist is the best way to determine if whitening will be safe and effective for you.