The bottom line is that if you visit your dentist regularly for check ups and ask their advice you will find that teeth whitening is for most people. It is one of the most safest cosmetic procedures to whiten your smile. The side affects of teeth whitening are minimal in most cases, however in the main there are 3 areas that we should be concerned about;-
Tenderness of the Gums & Cheeks
With all of today’s modern teeth whitening kits your gums and cheeks are protected by the whitening tray, mould or barrier material (strip). When the days treatment is complete the gums or cheeks can sometimes appear white or feel slightly sore or tender, HOWEVER DON’T PANIC. In most extreme cases the soreness should ease and disappear in the following 48 / 72 hours.
Sensitivty
There are some extreme cases of patients with unbearable pain from tooth sensitivity. If you know already that you have sensitive teeth then you should consult your dentist and take necessary precautions such as ;-
a) Use a pre whitening toothpaste and desensitising gel before, during and after the treatment
Not long lasting & naturally reversible
b) Use a ‘sensitive’ toothpaste after the treatment. Arm & Hammers ‘sensitive‘ is a brilliant tooth paste for preventing tooth sensitivity. Alternatively consider a tooth whitening product like Bdazzled Professional or Xpress, both contain water and are slightly less ‘aggressive’ than other products.
In general sensitivity during or after tooth whitening can range from a mild tingling sensation to moderate discomfort. Generally we find that in these cases it can last from a few hours to two days. To help any sensitivity you can also try to avoid cold drinks and foods for this period.
Tooth sensitivity is not long lasting and is totally reversable, DO NOT PANIC - it does go away all by itself and at no stage is any damage done to the nerve or tooth. Whitening is a safe procedure when done correctly and the instructions followed carefully. There are minimal side affects and the benefits are endless.
White Spots
If you were born with ‘white spots’ (fluorosis stains) or had any pre existing white spots before whitening, these spots after a whitening treatment can in some circumstances appear ‘bright white’ against your gleaming white teeth. Generally these spots go back to their ‘natural’ shade after a few days. The reason people can have these spots is usually due to fluoride in the water, and they tend to turn alot whiter during the process due to the different moisture content from that of the tooth.
Veneer, Crowns, Caps & Fillings
For those of us that have any of these the good news is that the whitening process will not damage them – it will not whiten them however! just your natural teeth.
Ideally to get the perfect solution if you have any caps, crowns or veneers then use one of our professional teeth whitening systems, Crest Whitestrips or Bdazzled , (click on one of the links to go direct to the appropriate page) to whiten your teeth back to their natural shade. Then visit your dentist and in the money that you will have saved by not having your teeth whitening at the dentist then you can have your non natural teeth changed to match that of your new pearly whites.
So finally in our analysis, bleaching will not cause any long term lasting damage to your teeth. However ‘bleaching’ will not ; –
- Bleaching will not bleach out the black, brown or white color imparted to teeth due to decay. Teeth should be repaired before bleaching is performed.
- Bleaching will not bleach out darkness imparted to teeth by old amalgam fillings. Removing the old metal filling and replacing it with a new composite will usually accomplish this, but if the tarnish has penetrated deeply into the tooth structure, the tooth may remain permanently discolored.
- Bleaching will not generally improve the appearance of fluorosis if the patient grew up in a part of the country (before the 1960′s) that had a high concentration of fluoride in the drinking water. This problem is also prevalent in patients who “ate” a lot of fluoride toothpaste when they were toddlers.
- Bleaching is ineffective in reducing the irregular gray horizontal lines seen on patients with tetracycline stain in their tooth structure. Tetracycline stain is seen primarily in older patients who received tetracycline to treat ear infections when they were infants and toddlers. Physicians in those days did not know that this drug would incorporate itself into the developing teeth of children causing this deformity.
Happy Whitening
Steve
