A great smile is contagious, exudes positivity, and creates excellent first impressions. But how can you wear a perfect smile if your teeth are discolored? Regrettably, even with the best care for your teeth, you cannot escape discoloration as it can occur due to genetics, aging, and common stain-causing substances like soda, coffee, and wine.
At Smilex International Dental Centre, we offer professional teeth whitening to restore the sparkle in your smile.
Unlike daily brushing and teeth cleanings, which remove plaque and discoloration on the surface of the tooth, in-office professional whitening penetrates teeth from within, where age and medication-related discoloration occurs. Thus, the major benefit of getting in-office whitening over routine dental maintenance and over-the-counter systems, is that it results in significant color change in a short period of time.
Who Needs Professional Teeth Whitening?
Our teeth are not perfectly white, despite what white toothpaste commercials tell you. Some yellowing of teeth is natural. However, some people may experience severe yellowing. Your teeth can actually stain because of what you eat or drink, and also because of certain lifestyle choices.
In some cases, teeth can be naturally a dark yellow. Your genetics and age also play a role in how nice your teeth look.
Things that can cause your teeth to seriously discolor
- Bad dental hygiene (not regularly brushing your teeth)
- Constantly drinking beverages like coffee, tea, red wine, turmeric in the daily food and some fruits like apples can also stain your teeth as well.
- Smoking tobacco stains your teeth.
- Certain medications
- Genetics
- Growing old
- Damage to teeth
- Nerve damage in the roots
Good oral hygiene can prevent teeth discolouration. But if your teeth have already discoloured, you can improve the looks by professional teeth whitening.
Professional teeth whitening doesn’t work for everyone. For example, if nerve damage to a tooth is causing it to discolour, a whitening procedure may not help. Also, if you whiten your teeth and continue to smoke, the positive effects will not last. In a majority of cases, professional teeth whitening can help you gain that pearly white smile you’ve always wanted.
What to Expect?
- Your mouth is prepared by having gums and lips covered.
- A professional-grade bleaching gel is applied to the teeth
- A special light is focused on the teeth for 15-20 minutes to help activate the bleaching gel
- The bleaching gel application and light treatment are repeated to up to two more times, for up to an hour total treatment time.
You can expect your teeth to whiten by as much as two to four shades brighter, but the actual new color will appear a few days after treatment. Depending on whether you have achieved your desired color or not, you may be advised to come back for an additional session.
Side Effects?
Although teeth whitening is a relatively safe procedure, there are certain side effects that you should be aware of.
- Sensitivity. Bleaching can cause temporary sensitivity to temperature, pressure, and touch, and sometimes even shooting pain. The pain usually lasts one or two days, but may be present up to a month.
- Gum Irritation and staining. This often happens when the whitening solution gets on the gums.
Maintenance?
Teeth whitening results won’t last forever as teeth continually get stained by coffee and other drinks, and yellowing is part of the aging process. In general, results from professional teeth whitening can last anywhere from one to five years. The best way to sustain your results is to follow a good dental care routine at home with regular brushing, flossing, and mouthwash rinsing, and to minimize the consumption of staining foods, drinks, and tobacco.
Contraindications?
Whitening may not be for you if you fall within one or more of the following categories
- You have sensitive teeth
- You have receding gums
- You have gum sensitivity
- You have crowns, veneers, implants, bridges, inlays, onlays(Ideally get your whitening done before all other treatments).
5 Things to Avoid After Teeth Whitening?
Professional teeth whitening is a great investment to improve the appearance of your smile and boost your self-confidence. However, it’s important to understand that your teeth are especially susceptible to discoloration and staining immediately after teeth whitening. Thus, what you do after teeth whitening, especially in the first 48 hours after treatment, determines how well your results will last. The following are some ways you can optimize your investment and get the most out of the in-office teeth whitening treatment.
1. Avoid Drinking Colored Beverages
Like most people, you might enjoy a morning cup of coffee or an evening glass of red wine. However, colored beverages can stain your teeth. Choose better alternatives, like clear alcohol, white wine, milk, coconut milk, and water. However, if you can’t live without your morning coffee, drink it through a straw to minimize contact with your teeth.
2. Avoid Dark Colored Foods
Similar to colored beverages, there is also a wide range of food to avoid after whitening your teeth. These include: dark-colored sauces , colorful spices (e.g. curry, turmeric,etc.), chocolate and colored candy and highly pigmented vegetables, fruits, and berries (e.g. beets, tomatoes, pomegranate, etc.) A good rule of thumb is that if it can stain a white shirt, it will stain your teeth.
3. Avoid Acidic Foods
During the teeth whitening procedure, your tooth enamel is slightly weakened due to the bleach. Beverages and food with high acidic content, such as citrus fruit, pickled food, and processed meats, can further weaken your enamel. This can lead to even more sensitivity and increased risk of re-staining. Stay away from acidic food for at least 48 hours to a week after teeth whitening, to minimize discomfort and protect your freshly whitened smile.
4. Brush Your Teeth Regularly
Even after teeth whitening, you still need to brush your teeth regularly to maintain the pearly white color. Sensitivity is common after teeth whitening, so brush your teeth with a soft bristled tooth brush and a non-abrasive toothpaste. To alleviate sensitivity, also try toothpaste and mouthwash that are specifically made for sensitive teeth.
5. Avoid Smoking and Use of Tobacco
Smokingor chewing tobacco is not just extremely harmful to your health, but is also a major contributor to teeth staining and discoloration. To keep your teeth from re-staining after a teeth whitening treatment, avoid tobacco products, at least for the first few days after whitening.
Professional at-home Whitening Kits
In case you want something which you can use at home them professional kit is there which can be bought from the doctor. These are custom-trays which will your doctor make as per your need.
So get your teeth whitened today for that extra sparkle and boost of confidence. Smilex International Dental Centre is here to give you the best advice and to enhance and brighten your smile.