Is Teeth Whitening Safe?

Your teeth are a distinct feature that people notice about you. You would feel confident to flash an award-winning smile. Sadly, if you have stained teeth, it lowers your self-confidence. The good news is you can whiten the teeth safely. Find out why teeth discolor and if teeth whitening is right for you.

How Do Our Teeth Get Discolored?

Teeth discoloration occurs when the shade of your teeth change. The teeth may darken, turn yellow, or develop colored spots. Below are some causes of teeth discoloration.

• Foods or drinks: Tea, coffee, apples, wines, and colas can easily stain your teeth.
• Use of tobacco: Your teeth readily absorb nicotine and tar in tobacco leading to yellow or brown discoloration.
• Poor dental hygiene: If you don’t brush your teeth and gums well, plaque and staining substances build up with time.
• Medications: Some antibiotics discolor teeth.
• Aging: The enamel wears away with age revealing the dentin’s natural color.
• Dental trauma: A fall can disturb enamel formation in a child and discoloration in an adult.

What Are the Treatment Options Available?

There are various teeth whitening treatment options available for you. Our dentist will recommend teeth bleaching options based on one or more of the following factors:

• The type of discoloration: It may be intrinsic (from within the tooth, like dental trauma) or extrinsic (when the stains affect the outside of the teeth, such as tea).
• Your budget: The amount of money you are ready to spend on brightening your teeth.
• Your age: Our dental team’s methods to brighten children’s teeth are different from what we recommend for adults.

There are three main types of teeth whitening treatment available for you, as explained below:

• The dentist administers teeth bleaching in our office (professional teeth whitening).
• You are given teeth whitening products by our dentist to use at home, such as tray-based teeth whiteners.
• Obtained over the counters, for example, whitening toothpaste or homemade products without our dentist’s supervision.

It’s useful to discuss whitening methods with a cosmetic dentist near you before trying out any form. The cosmetic dentist will recommend a treatment plan which addresses your needs. You will discuss the different approaches and your desired whitening results. It would help if you are patient with the dentist’s process and adhere to the instructions. If you want to achieve quick results, our dentist will recommend professional teeth whitening.

How is the Professional Teeth Whitening Done?

In-office whitening provides dramatic results, our dentist in Houston will apply the bleaching product directly on the teeth. Next, we apply heat and light to speed the process. The results are visible between 30 to 60 minutes of teeth whitening treatment. To achieve reliable results, you will schedule return visits with our cosmetic dentist. The dental team will repeat the process during the return visits until the desired results are achieved.

Is Whitening Safe?

Teeth whitening is safe, although you may experience some undesirable effects such as:

• Teeth sensitivity: Following teeth whitening, you may experience teeth sensitivity to hot or cold substances. The sensitivity may occur during the 1st or the 2nd visit. However, it diminishes with time. Our dentist may recommend you use products containing potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride gel to counter sensitivity.
• Gum irritation: It occurs when the gums come into contact with the bleaching products. The side effect will clear after the teeth whitening treatment.

How to Maintain Whitening Results?

The whitening results are not a permanent solution. Exposing your teeth to colored foods and beverages will stain your teeth, making the newly attained whiteness fade. Therefore, to maintain the freshly acquired results, you can do the following:

• Avoid foods and drinks that can discolor the teeth, like tea, coffee, and apples.
• Seek whitening treatments at Lynn Alan Palmer DDS so often to clean extrinsic and intrinsic discoloration.
• Rinse your mouth after eating or drinking colored foods or drinks.
• Brush and floss your teeth two times a day.
• Avoid using tobacco.

Takeaway.

Teeth bleaching works and produces reliable results, but ensure you stick to our dentist-approved methods. Our dentist near you at Lynn Alan Palmer DDS will recommend a way that best suits your needs. Book an appointment today for a consultation with our expert dentist in Houston area, such as Memorial, Spring Branch, Katy, North Houston, Bunker Hill Village, Sugar Land, Alvin, Friendswood, Fulrshear, and Baytown.