You’ve been embarrassed for a while now by your yellowed, dull teeth. You’re ready for a change.
There’s a simple and cost-effective way to make that change: you can temporarily brighten your smile with teeth whitening, possibly at home. But before you try it, you should first have a dental examination to find out if whitening is the right choice for you.
First off, healthy teeth with outer enamel staining are the best candidates for whitening. Teeth and gums with tooth decay or periodontal (gum) disease should be treated first before undergoing whitening. A dental exam will uncover any health issues you may have with your mouth.
In the same vein, you’ll want to consider whitening carefully if you have dental work like veneers, crowns or implants. Unlike natural teeth, these non-biological materials won’t be affected by the bleaching agent. We can discuss any potential for color mismatch between your whitened natural teeth and your dental work during your examination.
A dental exam can also uncover one other crucial fact — what kind of tooth staining you have. There are two basic types: extrinsic, staining on the outside enamel as we’ve mentioned earlier; and intrinsic, staining that originates from inside a tooth. The whitening kits you purchase from a store and even some of the whitening techniques we use in the office only diminish extrinsic, not intrinsic staining. To address an intrinsically-stained tooth requires a much more involved, invasive clinical technique only performed by dental professionals.
Finally, a dental examination is a good discussion forum for helping you decide between a home kit and a clinical procedure. While DIY kits are effective for the most part, you won’t be able to precisely control the degree of brightness like we can. This could be important if you want a specific shade of whiteness, from a more subtle and natural shade to dazzling “Hollywood” bright. Shade control could also help minimize color mismatch with dental work.
In the end, we want to help you make the best choice for teeth whitening. Even if you decide to pursue whitening at home, we can offer you valuable advice on what to look for when you buy a kit and how to use it. That alone could help ensure you get the new, bright smile you desire!If you would like more information on teeth whitening, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Important Teeth Whitening Questions…Answered!”