Professional Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is a popular cosmetic improvement, but there issues that need to be understood in attempting teeth whitening. Most dentists agree that the standard, over-the-counter teeth whitening products available are safe to use as long as the product is used as directed, including the limitation of frequency of use. There are no guarantees of whitening effectiveness if products are used incorrectly.
However, one of the drawbacks of the over-the-counter products is that none of them will whiten teeth more than two or three shades of difference. The whitening agents applied by a dentist, however, have greater success with increased shades of improvement, and are also considered safe to apply. This is the primary reason why a patient may want to consider having a teeth whitening procedure performed by a dentist if over-the-counter products have failed to satisfy.
Another drawback is that people who smoke and want to whiten their teeth may find that over-the-counter whitening agents will not change the color of teeth.
There are issues, however, even with seeing a dentist to perform the procedure.
Expectations of absolutely white teeth are unreasonable. No one's natural teeth are that white, however, over-indulged bleaching may achieve a bright-white appearance. We may like the appearance, but the problem may be deeper than the fact that it is an unnatural color. Excessive bleaching may cause tooth damage.
Expectations that teeth whitening will last indefinitely, regardless of the level of whitening achieved, is also unreasonable. Teeth naturally darken with age, but in addition, our habits with regard to eating, drinking and smoking have darkening effects as well. Both aging and staining by consumables will have their effect on darkening teeth that have been whitened. We cannot halt aging, but we can limit or eliminate our consumption of coffee, tea, red wine, cigarettes, etc., and the whitening effort will endure longer. Teeth whitening will require multiple repetitions of whitening over a lifetime.
Color variation between these added appliances and natural teeth is likely to be the result of a whitening exercise.
There may be side effects caused by a tooth whitening
procedure (as well as by over-the-counter products). Some will experience soft
and sensitive gums from the procedure. This condition usually fades soon after
the procedure, but if it endures, the dentist should be consulted. This may or
may not be a condition the dentist can prevent or treat effectively if another
procedure is performed. For more info please visit sierradentalandorthodontics.com/