Some factors such as tobacco, alcohol or certain foods damage the color of the teeth and with the passage of time stains appear, the enamel tone is lost, darkening or simply the natural color of your teeth is yellowish. Surely on more than one occasion you have wondered how to whiten your teeth, there are a number of factors to consider when deciding to start this type of procedure:
The first of these is that health is paramount when it comes to showing off your smile. For this reason, you will not be able to start teeth whitening if you suffer from any type of oral disease such as caries and periodontal disease, among others.
The second is that teeth whitening is not merely an aesthetic process, but a dental treatment, so it should always be supervised and scheduled by a specialist to ensure both the suitability of the treatment and its correct execution.
And finally, you should know that not in all cases whitening is the solution to stains on tooth enamel, there are some stains or dental conditions that can only be aesthetically corrected with prostheses, either with veneers or crowns.
Once we have clarified these initial concerns, we can begin to explain all the details related to this treatment.
There are 3 types of treatments that are used to improve the appearance and color of your teeth: in-office whitening by photo-activation or chemical activation, splint whitening carried out at home and internal whitening, also carried out in an office.
It is important to clarify that the protocol of a well performed dental whitening does NOT include lowering or grinding the dental enamel, it does NOT produce any type of erosion or wear, nor permanent sensitivity in the dental pieces.
In-office whitening
It is a procedure performed in the dental clinic, this can be by photo-activation or chemical activation, depending on the brand of the product. It is the simplest since it is performed in one or two sessions. The first thing to do is to protect your gums, since with the process it is very likely that they will end up irritated if the chemicals in the whitening agent come in contact with them, then a whitening gel is applied on your teeth. After these steps, depending on the brand, photo-activation is performed by using LED light on your teeth to activate the process. The whitening that is by chemical activation does not need any continuous step after applying it, it begins to work from the moment it is placed without the need of a lamp. As long as they are of a prestigious brand, the difference between the two is minimal, but it is worth mentioning that in our experience we recommend the one that does not need a lamp, since it produces less sensitivity afterwards and allows us to leave it on the patient longer, providing better results.
- Teeth whitening by splints
This method is a little more economical than in-office bleaching, but sometimes a little less effective because it is done at home and continuity can be lost, although well done it can have the same or better results than in-office bleaching.
Because the concentration is lower, the time to notice results is much longer. For its application a splint is used, made by the specialist to the patient’s measure, in which the whitening gel is applied for an estimated time, this depends on the indications provided by the specialist and the concentrations, as there are several. Generally it is used at night every two or three days. The duration of the complete process using splints is between 4 to 6 weeks, depending on each case and can be used later as a maintenance kit after a treatment in consultation.
Internal bleaching
In non-vital teeth, that is, teeth that lack blood supply. This is usually the case of teeth with endodontics or that have suffered a strong traumatism, the whitening on the surface of the piece does not work, the ideal is to perform an internal whitening of the piece, which consists of making a hole in the back of the tooth to deposit the whitening inside it. The appearance of the tooth will improve for a certain period of time, but it will always return a few shades back with the passing of time. It is recommended to periodically perform the procedure or if the shade difference is very noticeable, the placement of a veneer or a crown may be recommended to improve the esthetics.
After in-office teeth whitening is recommended:
- Maintain proper dental hygiene.
- Remember to brush your teeth at least twice a day, preferably 3 times a day.
- Avoid smoking, especially in the first 48 hours after your treatment.
- Do not eat or drink cold foods or beverages, since your teeth will be sensitive after the procedure.
- Within the next 48 hrs. You may experience pain and sensitivity, so we recommend that you take an analgesic prescribed in consultation.
- Avoid eating foods that tend to stain your teeth such as coffee, wine or red fruits for the first 5 days after the treatment.
- Visit your dentist periodically.
Who is not a candidate for whitening?
As mentioned above, anyone who suffers from any dental condition such as cavities, periodontal disease, severe wear and / or abrasions in the enamel or hypersensitivity in the pieces to be treated with whitening, which always includes the area of the smile, depending on each individual can be from 8 to 10 pieces per arch, ie upper and lower jaw.
Sometimes by treating conditions such as gingivitis or caries, the patient will be ready to receive whitening.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance to perform an initial check-up by implementing some tests and thoroughly reviewing some details to diagnose whether a patient is a candidate or not, or what is the ideal whitening for his or her case.
What to expect after your consultation whitening?
It is important to keep in mind that the results after any type of teeth whitening can be very different from person to person and it is impossible to guarantee how many shades a product can improve or even if the result will be very noticeable, although in the vast majority of cases we do get a satisfactory result.
We tell you for sure: advertising where a radical change is guaranteed, is just an advertising stunt, nothing more, teeth whitening are not miracle products, on the web you can find many digitally manipulated photos with impossible white tones.
It is normal to present a temporary sensitivity that will last no more than 2 days after the treatment, for the same reason, the previously mentioned care.
With the passage of time the color of the denture may return to its initial natural state, it is generally recommended to carry out a maintenance
*photo taken from the internet.
This is a credible result not digitally edited.
In Makeover we can help you in your teeth whitening treatment, check that you are a candidate for it, what you need so that you can carry it out, as well as create an ideal personalized plan to achieve the tone you are looking for, always with the best materials to take care of your dental health. If you need a consultation, do not hesitate to call us and get in touch with us, we will be happy to advise you at makeoverdentalstudio@hotmail.com or at our phone numbers MX (664)634-2023 / EU (619) 202-0423.