When you look as if you haven’t brushed your teeth for several months, it is often because your teeth have discolorations that aren’t removable with toothpaste. Stains can develop on the enamel of your teeth for a variety of reasons, including:
- Taking certain medications
- Chewing tobacco
- Drinking certain beverages
- Eating certain foods
- Smoking tobacco
- The natural aging process
- Calcium deficiency
You may have noticeable dark spots on your teeth, but in some cases, your teeth have overall discolorations. These discolorations can occur gradually, and you may not realize that your teeth have a yellow, gray or brown color until someone tells you. Mouthwashes, toothpastes or adhesive strips that are made to remove the discolorations from your teeth are ineffective and can irritate your mouth’s soft oral tissues. Rather than wasting your money on these products, learn the facts about whitening your teeth the proper way.
1. Whitening Your Teeth Won’t Harm the Enamel
You might wonder if whitening your teeth is harmful, but when our dentist performs the process in our office, the chemicals won’t degrade the enamel on your teeth or burn your soft oral tissues. The whitening chemicals will seep into the tiny tubules of the dental enamel on your teeth to reach the ugly stains to lift away the debris.
2. The Whitening Process Can Take Up To 90 Minutes
The whitening process can take 30 to 90 minutes depending on several factors, including protecting your dental restorations and how many stains are on your teeth. Our dentist can use different processes to remove the discolorations when your mouth’s ceramic, resin or porcelain restorations are stained.
3. Teeth Whitening Only Removes Certain Stains
The process of whitening your teeth will remove extrinsic stains that are on the surface or underlying layers of the dental enamel. The chemicals used for whitening won’t remove discolorations that were present at birth or that are deep in the pulp of the teeth. Our dentist can find other ways to hide these discolorations with dental bonding or restorations.
4. You Shouldn’t Have Teeth Whitening If Your Teeth Are Decayed
If you have tooth decay, then you should have the cavities cleaned and filled before having your teeth whitened. For large cavities, our dentist can make customized dental crowns to protect the underlying teeth from additional decay.
5. Whitening Can’t Be Performed If You Have Periodontal Disease
Before our dentist can whiten your teeth, we must make sure that your mouth’s gums are healthy. If you have gingivitis, then it is essential to take antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria from your mouth. Our dentist can perform other cleaning services to help you overcome periodontal disease. When your gums are healthy again, you can undergo a whitening procedure.
6. A Dentist Can Use Different Substances to Whiten Your Teeth
Our dentist can use a strong hydrogen peroxide solution to whiten your teeth, but he might use carbamide peroxide instead. Carbamide peroxide is often used when you have sensitive teeth or gums that can’t tolerate the chemical reaction that is caused by the combination of water and hydrogen peroxide.
7. The Dentist Will Use a Heat Lamp
The process of whitening your teeth can take longer when a dentist doesn’t use a heat lamp, but our dentist uses the proper heat lamp to improve the speed of lifting the stains from your teeth.
8. Children Cannot Have Their Teeth Whitened
It is better to wait until you are at least 16 years old to have your teeth whitened to avoid damaging the interior portions of the teeth. If a child has stains on his teeth, then our dentist can often use other methods to remove the discolorations.
9. Whitening Your Teeth Is Painless
In most cases, you will have no discomfort while your teeth are whitened. Our dentist applies a special substance on your gums so that the hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide doesn’t touch your gum tissues.
10. You Can Have Less Foul Breath Odor after Whitening Your Teeth
The process of whitening your teeth can reduce foul breath odor by eliminating the stains caused by foods, beverages or tobacco. This is a great extra benefit from whitening your teeth.
11. Teeth Whitening Can Improve Your Self-esteem
If you don’t like your facial appearance, then you can have poor self-esteem. After your teeth are whitened, you can feel confident about smiling and talking.
Schedule an Appointment with Us Today
If you live in Arizona, then you can schedule an appointment with Imagine Dental at either of our locations located in:
• Phoenix – 602-595-3600
• Ahwatukee – 480-893-7733
Visit us to learn more about all of our dental care services, including having your teeth whitened.
