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If you have had your teeth cleaned professionally but are still unhappy with their color, then you may want to look into teeth whitening services at our Dallas dentist office.
Over-the-counter whitening toothpaste and kits from the pharmacy may whiten your teeth one or two shades. However, to get dramatically whiter teeth and remove deeper stains, you’ll need to see a cosmetic dentist for treatment.
The whiteness of your teeth is not an indicator of their health. You can have yellowed or stained teeth that are completely healthy and strong. For this reason, teeth whitening is considered an elective cosmetic procedure. In no way is teeth whitening necessary for ongoing dental health, but it can help improve your appearance and boost your confidence. Patients often find that they smile more often and feel more comfortable in social situations after having their teeth whitened.
If you are not happy with the color of your teeth, it’s a good idea to have them professionally cleaned before scheduling a whitening appointment. During a professional cleaning, your dental hygienist removes tartar, a hardened form of plaque that makes your teeth look yellow.
In some cases, a cleaning procedure may adequately improve the appearance of your teeth. If you are not happy with the results of cleaning alone, then you should talk to your dentist about affordable whitening procedures.
Professional teeth whitening can remove stains associated with aging, drinking coffee, or smoking. It cannot, however, reverse staining from antibiotic use. If you took tetracycline and experienced blue-gray tooth stains as a side effect, your dentist may recommend veneers or crowns, rather than whitening, to improve the appearance of your teeth.
If you desire whiter teeth, your dentist will first need to examine you and evaluate your health history to ensure you’re a suitable candidate for a whitening procedure.
Sometimes, this can be done during your annual checkup if your general dentist offers whitening services. In other cases, your dentist may conduct a brief consultation at the beginning of your whitening appointment. They will look over your gums and teeth, examine recent x-rays, and talk to you about any dental symptoms or pain you may be experiencing.
Patients who are in good health and do not have any grave dental ailments are good candidates for professional teeth whitening. However, if you have any of the following conditions, your dentist may recommend against a whitening treatment —or that you wait a few months to pursue such a procedure.
– Teeth whitening treatments can make your teeth feel a bit sensitive to extreme temperatures and pressure following the procedure. Most patients can easily manage this side effect. Still, if your teeth are already touchy, the whitening process might result in hypersensitivity, which makes eating, drinking, and brushing your teeth uncomfortable. Your dentist might recommend using sensitivity toothpaste or undergoing fluoride treatments before pursuing teeth whitening for sensitive teeth.
– Gum disease can cause pockets to develop between your teeth and gums. If the chemicals in your whitening therapy infiltrate these pockets, this can cause pain and sensitivity. A dentist can help you treat your periodontitis, making teeth whitening a safer choice. Gum disease therapy may include deep cleaning, antibiotic rinses, and surgery to reduce the size of pockets.
– If you have any cavities, it is not safe for your dentist to use whitening chemicals on your teeth. Thankfully, filling tooth cavities is a fast and straightforward process. Once the cavities are filled, your dentist should approve you as a fit candidate for teeth whitening.
– If you have extensive dental restorations, such as crowns or bonding, your dentist may advise against having your teeth professionally whitened. Though the whitening treatments should not damage the crowns or dental bonding substance, they will not alter their color either. If you do choose to have your teeth whitened, the crowns and bonding may become evident.
– The effects of teeth whitening on pregnant women have not been well-evaluated. Hence, most dentists recommend against these procedures for pregnant or nursing women.
Teeth whitening is a simple process. There are two different types of treatments. Your dentist will suggest the one that’s best for you based on the level of staining, your predisposition to sensitivity, and how fast you require results.
If you want fast results, such as for an upcoming wedding or special event, your dentist will likely recommend an in-office whitening procedure. At your appointment, the dentist will apply a special guard to your lips and gums to shield them against the compound whitening agents.
Then, they will apply the bleaching agents to your teeth and allow them to sit for about fifteen minutes. While the bleaching agent does its job, your dentist will illuminate a special UV light on your teeth, which stimulates the bleaching and speeds up the whitening process.
Depending on the color of your teeth after the first round of bleaching, your dentist may suggest repeating the process once or twice. Once the final round is complete, your dentist will rinse the product, and you’ll be free to return home.
In-office bleaching typically takes about two hours. The bleaching agents used are more potent than the ones sold over-the-counter at pharmacies, so they must be applied by a dentist to avoid contact with your gums. Some patients experience mild jaw discomfort after holding their mouths open for so long during the treatment, but you should not have any pain.
If you are prone to sensitivity or don’t feel comfortable sitting with your mouth open for two hours during in-office whitening treatment, your dentist may recommend take-home trays instead. Your dentist will create a mold of your teeth and use it to make customized trays. You’ll take home these trays, along with a unique bleach solution. After each application, your teeth will grow whiter and whiter.
The whitening trays provided by your dentist are different from those you can buy over-the-counter. Because they are custom-fit to your mouth and not likely to uncover your gums to the whitening agent, the trays can be used with a more powerful whitening agent than over-the-counter kits.
Your teeth should look up to 10 shades whiter following therapy. People who glance at you should notice the dramatic contrast. However, these results are not everlasting. You’ll want to take appropriate steps to maintain your teeth white for as long as possible.
If you follow the tips above, your smile should stay white for at least a year or longer. When your teeth start to yellow or develop stains again, you can schedule another whitening appointment with your cosmetic dentist.
Serious side effects after whitening procedures are rare. Some patients do experience some sensitivity in their teeth and gums after an in-office whitening procedure or session with take-home trays. When this happens, try to avoid beverages with extreme temperatures. Be sure to use a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth. Your teeth should return to normal within a few weeks.
Because teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure, most dental insurance plans will not cover the cost. However, whitening is a more affordable dental treatment than many patients assume. In-office teeth whitening costs start at $199+. Take-home trays are often even more affordable, and you can usually reuse them if you need them again in the future.
If you are not satisfied with the color or shade of your teeth, use our convenient “dentist near me” ZIP search tool to schedule a whitening appointment today online or by phone at (214)731-0124.
Your dentist will evaluate your oral health to ensure you are a candidate for whitening, and most patients are. These procedures are safe, the only common side effect is short-term sensitivity, and the results are long-lasting and dramatic. We also offer the best dental implants in Dallas.
No, dental bonding isn’t painful. When Dr. Hamlett or Dr. La Mastra applies bonding to repair a tooth, they are only working on the surface of the tooth. Some people may experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure is finished, but this is often easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and typically goes away quickly.
No, dental bonding isn’t painful. When Dr. Hamlett or Dr. La Mastra applies bonding to repair a tooth, they are only working on the surface of the tooth. Some people may experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure is finished, but this is often easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and typically goes away quickly.
No, dental bonding isn’t painful. When Dr. Hamlett or Dr. La Mastra applies bonding to repair a tooth, they are only working on the surface of the tooth. Some people may experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure is finished, but this is often easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and typically goes away quickly.
No, dental bonding isn’t painful. When Dr. Hamlett or Dr. La Mastra applies bonding to repair a tooth, they are only working on the surface of the tooth. Some people may experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure is finished, but this is often easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and typically goes away quickly.
No, teeth whitening does not damage your tooth enamel. It is performed on the portion that is responsible for your teeth’s color.
No. There is a range of teeth whitening treatments available. The effect of each treatment varies from a few months to up to three years. Those who consume a lot of tea, coffee, and tobacco or smoke won’t expect to see results for a longer time.
People with sensitivity can experience discomfort or pain during the treatment or in the minutes, hours, or days following a specific teeth whitening procedure.
Yes, yellow teeth can be whitened with teeth whitening treatments. At ToothHQ, we do offer our patients cutting-edge treatments that can efficiently and effectively whiten their teeth.
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