Bleaching is one of the most conservative and cost-effective dental treatments to improve or enhance a person's smile. However, it is not risk-free! Here are the 5 Things You Should Know Before You Whiten Your Teeth:
- The most important thing you should know is that NOT everyone is a candidate for teeth whitening! Anyone considering OTC products should have a dental examination (with appropriate radiographs) by a licensed dentist. If you have active tooth decay or gum disease, bleaching may cause irreversible nerve damage! A dental exam will help identify presence and location of your existing restorations (i.e., fillings, crowns, veneers). This is important because restorations do not change colors and the expense and/or risks related to the replacement fillings/crowns/veneers to match post-bleaching tooth color may contraindicate whitening.
- Current tooth bleaching materials are based primarily on either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and urea when applied to teeth: 10% carbamide peroxide yields roughly 3.5% hydrogen peroxide. In-office bleaching materials contain 15-38% hydrogen peroxide; at-home products contain 3-10% hydrogen peroxide. All bleaching should be done under the supervision of a licensed dentist to avoid any adverse reactions, which may be related to low pH or poor product quality. Professionally performed or supervised at-home bleaching reduces the risk of you selecting and using inferior products, inappropriate application procedures, product abuse and/or the ongoing oral health effects of undiagnosed or underlying disease.
- A "whitening toothpaste" does not whiten your teeth, it brightens your teeth by removing superficial extrinsic stains. Toothpaste cannot bleach teeth because the maximum hydrogen peroxide allowed in toothpaste is so low that it is immediately inactivated by salivary enzymes. Essentially, a whitening toothpaste is a marketing ploy.
- The most common side-effects of teeth whitening is sensitivity and gum irritation. Tooth sensitivity is generally related to the peroxide concentration of the material and the contact time. Also, there is such a thing as too much whitening! It may harm your gums and tooth enamel. Do not use whitening products for longer than advised in the product directions or by your dentist.
- White discolorations on your teeth (areas of hypo-calcified enamel) will not bleach. To eliminate these white spots completely involves a very specific process of re-mineralizing your enamel. Your dentist can help you get rid of these white spots with MI paste (if they are small) or with an in-office ICON treatment, a micro-invasive technology that fills and reinforces demineralized enamel without drilling or anesthesia, if the defect is larger.
FYI,
Crest 3D White Glamorous White is the only home-use tooth bleaching product to receive the ADA Seal of Acceptance!
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