Teeth Whitening Questions
Cosmetic Dentistry Directory
Which tooth-whitening option is best?
Both in-office and take-home teeth whitening options produce excellent results. The method of whitening you choose depends greatly on your needs.
In-office whitening may be best if:
- You need whitening performed quickly
- Your teeth are extremely stained and may require more extensive treatment
Take home whitening may be the best option for you if:
- You aren't in a rush
- You prefer to use the trays on yourself
- You want a less expensive option and are willing to wait longer to see results
How long will my teeth stay white?
Most people seem to be satisfied with their teeth whitening results for as long as a year or so after the procedure. Touch up applications are also available if you need further whitening down the road. But three variables will affect how long your teeth stay white:
- Your dental hygiene habits will play a role. If you visit your dentist for regular check-ups and cleaning, your teeth will stay whiter for longer.
- If you brush and floss daily and well, they'll stay whiter.
- If you cut down on strongly pigmented foods and drinks like the coffee so many of us love, black tea, blackberries, and red wine, your teeth will remain whiter. Generally, if it will stain your white T-shirt, it will stain your teeth.
If you neglect any of these things, they'll become discolored more quickly.
Are any side-effects associated with tooth-whitening?
No, except for temporarily increased sensitivity to heat and cold. This will subside after a day or two if you notice it after your in-office treatment. If you notice it while you're doing your at-home treatments, just hold treatments for a day or two. Take-home kits come with a little tube of de-sensitizing gel. You can wear your trays with a small drop of this in each tooth shape. After a day or so you can resume treatments.
Couldn't I just use an over-the-counter product?
You could, but you'd almost certainly be disappointed.
- Whitening toothpastes (a) produce undetectable results because they're not in contact with your teeth long enough each day to be effective; (b) contain abrasive ingredients such as baking soda, which gradually remove tooth enamel. In the short term, this may appear to make them a little whiter, but in the long term, it will make them yellow. That's because with a thinner layer of enamel, the yellow dentin layer below the enamel will show through. You will then have teeth that can't ever be whitened.
- Store-bought at-home kits contain whitening gel and trays, superficially like a cosmetic dentist's professional take-home kits. However, (a) the whitening gel will be weaker and less effective; and (b) the trays almost certainly won't fit your teeth. With an ill-fitting tray, the whitening gel will be in uneven contact with your teeth, producing uneven results.
How much whiter will my teeth become?
That can't be exactly predicted by any dentist, as we are all individuals. It will be affected by several things though.
- A professional whitening treatment will make them whiter than an over-the-counter treatment
- Stains on the tooth enamel are easier to remove than deeper stains
- Wearing your at-home whitening trays for more weeks will make your teeth whiter, up to a point
- Using the follow-up kit that comes with in-office treatments may whiten your teeth even more than was done in the office treatment
How well you maintain your dental hygiene habits afterwards, and how regularly you have professional cleanings done will largely determine how long your teeth will remain so white.
What causes tooth discoloration?
As you can see on every cosmetic dental website, drinking "coffee, tea and red wine" will stain your teeth. That is because those substances contain strong pigments. Tea does not refer to chamomile tea, for instance, but only to black tea. There are other staining substances too, such as tobacco, dark cola drinks, blackberries and blueberries. If it will stain your white tablecloth, it will stain your white teeth. Conversely, if a bleach will remove it from the tablecloth, a bleach can remove it from your teeth.
All of this applies only to one type of tooth stain: extrinsic staining. This is the type caused by external substances, and it exists only in the tooth enamel, not deeper down.
There are also intrinsic stains. These are deeper in the tooth and much harder to remove. These stains can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, tooth trauma, infection, and even genetic factors.
The antibiotic tetracycline is often mentioned as being a hard-to-remove tooth stain. It's hard to remove if the tetracycline was given to a child, while teeth were forming. It deposits stains deep within the teeth so that bleaching agents can't reach them. These are gray or brown stains and might be in stripes, or bands, rather than covering the entire tooth. Even if teeth stained by tetracycline are covered with porcelain veneers, the stain may well show through. If you have this type of staining, consult with a qualified cosmetic dentist to see what your options are.
