10 Unknown Facts About Tooth Whitening!

There is a myth that whitening erases all the damage they’ve done to their teeth over their lifetimes. The opposite is true — the better you’ve cared for your teeth, the greater the results. If you have kept up on your dental appointments, brushed and flossed regularly,  and avoided damage and discoloration, the whiter your teeth will appear after treatment.  

Too much whitening gel too fast will permanently damage teeth.  Over-whitening can make them look translucent or discolored 

Ultra-violet (UV) light is a frequency of light that works by accelerating the whitening gel to act faster.  This process is FDA regulated and only offered under dentist supervision. Caps and veneers will neither whiten nor stain.  Immediately after whitening (regardless of the product you use),  your teeth are more susceptible to restaining. The pores in your teeth are slightly more open and can more easily allow stains in.

 Teeth Whitening: 

Know Before You Go-If you have extrinsic discoloration (i.e. staining from things like coffee and tea) it can be removed by cleaning the teeth with professional teeth cleaning. Bleach will not work well on extrinsic discoloration. If you have intrinsic yellowing, no amount of stain-removing toothpaste can lighten the intrinsic color of the tooth. You’ll need to whiten your teeth using a bleaching gel that is held up against the teeth.

What we think & what happens actually 

After whitening treatment  it is completely normal for sensitivity to occur.  The teeth become temporarily dehydrated which reduces their ability to insulate the nerve from changes in temperature. Sensitivity will disappear 12-36 hours after whitening. To prevent soft tissue irritation use gingival barrier.