Solution Dental

If you’re over the age of 14 with permanent teeth, you can qualify for teeth whitening. Your dentist is the most qualified person to determine your oral health and recommend the best technique to lighten your teeth. He or she will inspect the condition of your teeth and how severe the staining is. Some possible options may include:

1) A dental cleaning by your dentist or hygienist to remove tartar buildup and staining caused by plaque accumulation, food, and smoking.

2) Brushing with a whitening toothpaste to remove superficial stains.

3) For minor yellowing or discoloration, over the counter whitening gel or strips may brighten your teeth, however these products tend to come with a lower concentration of bleaching product (carbamide peroxide) and take longer to see results.

4) If you have teeth with deeper stains or yellowing, your dentist may recommend in-office bleaching and/or home bleaching. The solutions used by your dentist have a higher concentration of the active ingredient carbamide peroxide so you’ll see results in as little as one appointment. Home kits dispensed by your dentist contain a set of custom mouthguards and vials of concentrated bleaching gels or solutions. Depending on how strong the gel is, you’ll wear the mouthguards from twice a day to overnight.

5) For heavily stained or damaged teeth, your dentist may suggest porcelain veneers, cosmetic bonding, or full coverage crowns to correct the problem.

To get the best results, you need to have a qualified diagnosis of your staining. A skilled dentist is the best professional to recommend optimum treatment for you.

While lightening your teeth is a safe procedure, it does have minor side effects. Your teeth can experience temporary sensitivity during and after the bleaching procedure. This will usually disappear when your treatment is finished. Patients who already experience extreme teeth sensitivity may not be good candidates for teeth whitening as the solutions may cause increased irritation of the teeth. If this is your situation ask your dentist about the benefits of desensitizing treatment prior to brightening your teeth. If you have periodontal disease, your gums may also be sensitive to this procedure.

Teeth with a brown/gray discoloration or have a striped or mottled appearance from tetracycline treatment or too much flouride, are not good candidates for bleaching. It’s difficult to achieve an even result with these pre-existing conditions.

If the discoloration of your teeth are due to old existing fillings, crowns, or bonding, bleaching won’t lighten these restorations. Ask your dentist about replacing these old restorations or the option of veneering over them.

Find out the condition of your dental health by seeing an Orange dentist or Santa Monica dentist today for an evaluation!