Five Things You Need to Know About Teeth Whitening

More and more people are pursuing a whiter and brighter smile as it makes one confident in their appearance. If you feel your teeth are dull or are not as white as you would like, you can consider professional teeth whitening.

Here are five things you should know before you sit in the dentist’s chair for teeth whitening:

1. Works Only on Real Teeth: While the cosmetic dentistry can offer you this amazing service, it can be done only on natural and real teeth. If you have dentures, veneers, crowns or fillings, teeth whitening will not work for you and the color of the teeth will remain unchanged. However, you can choose the color of the crowns and fillings to match with the new shade of your teeth after the whitening treatment is done.

2.It’s Not Permanent: It provides great and instant results, but unfortunately, it is not permanent and lasts for up to three years. This time frame, however, will differ from one person to another based on whether they smoke or drink coffee or tea as these habits stain the teeth faster and reduce the time the teeth will remain white.

3.It’s Not for Everyone: Those with dental restorations like crowns or bridges; porcelain veneers; cosmetic bonding or tooth-colored fillings will find that the bleaching agents won’t work on all their teeth. Lastly, this is not an ideal treatment if you have sensitive teeth as there is a chance that your gums and teeth could be sensitive to the chemicals being used.

4. Go to a Dentist: There are a lot of over-the-counter and DIY teeth whitening options, but always choose to go to a certified dentist. Only a dental care professional can
perform the treatment legally and offer you the best teeth whitening results possible.

5. Choose What Works For You: You can choose from two options: a take-home treatment or an in-office treatment. The former uses special trays created from molds of your teeth, which are then filled with whitening gel and applied for a few days in a row and the latter is done in a dentist’s office where a whitening gel and special light is used. It offers quicker results.

A dental marketer at  Michael G. Long DDS, Fresno, CA and a believer in holistic health, Grace writes on various dental topics focusing on healthy living and holistic health.