Teeth whitening treatments are cosmetic dental procedures to improve the color of your teeth to give you the freedom to flash your beautiful smile. The treatments are popular among many people with discolored teeth, impacting their smile to make them appear like introverts or people who aren’t open to meeting or discussing anything with others.
If tooth discoloration is causing problems with your smile and impacting your self-confidence, you can comfortably have your teeth whitened at the dentist’s office near you to have the brighter teeth you desire. You might think dental treatments cause anxiety and expenses and consider over-the-counter or natural remedies to achieve your goal.
However, we recommend that you not indulge in such activities because they can damage tooth enamel to leave you more harm than good. Therefore if you want your teeth whitened, the best option is to seek advice from a dentist who also provides teeth whitening treatments.
Why should patients consider teeth whitening?
Patients can consider teeth whitening treatments for many reasons. For example, teeth usually darken from the staining foods and beverages you have and lifestyle habits like smoking and chewing tobacco. In addition, injuries to your teeth impacting the nerve can leave your tooth discolored, making it challenging to whiten with treatments from dentists.
When enamel erosion exposes the dentin beneath, having a yellowish appearance, your teeth can darken with age. Medications had during childhood can also impact your teeth, leaving stains on them to make them appear ungainly.
When you find it challenging to whiten your teeth using whitening toothpaste or other remedies, you find it better to visit the dentist requesting teeth whitening treatments.
What Is the Typical Number and Length of Each Whitening Session?
The length of time required for each whitening session is approximately 90 minutes. The 90-minute session is not merely to whiten teeth but is also to examine your dental health and give you teeth cleaning before whitening them.
How many sessions you need to whiten your teeth depends on the severity of the discoloration. If you have stained teeth from infections or injuries, dentists might recommend alternative treatments like dental bonding, veneers, or crowns instead of teeth whitening.
During the examination, the dentist examines your teeth to determine the kind of discoloration affecting them and look for signs of tooth decay and gum disease. If dental conditions affect you, the dentist recommends you have the problems treated before considering whitening treatments. Fortunately, if you don’t have any dental infections, the dentist proceeds with the whitening treatment to complete it in one session.
Dentists bleach your teeth using concentrated hydrogen peroxide and provide four applications of the ingredient over your teeth at intervals of 15 each. Before applying the hydrogen peroxide, the dentist protects the soft tissues of your mouth with cheek retractors and rubber dams over your gums to prevent sensitivity from the whitening ingredient. They also note the color of your teeth for reference later.
After 15 minutes, the dentist removes the existing application on your teeth for a new one. Heat and light accompany the whitening treatment to accelerate the process and whiten your teeth faster.
At the end of one hour, the dentist requests you rinse your mouth and receive a fluoride treatment for sensitivity and to strengthen enamel to battle against cavities. Finally, the dentist notes the changes to your teeth’ color to confirm changes by up to three to eight shades.
You might require multiple teeth whitening sessions with the dentist if you have severely discolored teeth resulting from foods and beverages besides habits like smoking.
How Do I Keep My Teeth White for a Longer Period of Time?
Keeping your teeth whiter for an extended period might seem challenging, especially if you are accustomed to staining foods and beverages and smoking or chewing tobacco. However, limiting or avoiding foods, drinks, and tobacco is the optimal method of keeping your teeth whiter.
You must also get regular cleanings from your dentist when your teeth receive polishing after the cleaning. Maintaining excellent dental hygiene by brushing twice daily and flossing at least once is a requirement you cannot overlook.
An alternative method of retaining the brighter color of your teeth is to request your dentist for at-home whitening trays, which they customize after taking impressions of your teeth and mouth and provide them with whitening gel to use from the comfort of your home. Using the trays as the dentist recommends helps you keep your teeth whiter for an extended period.
Effective treatments for teeth whitening are provided by Family Dental Care — Oak Lawn with at-home whitening trays if required. If your teeth have discolored, a visit to this practice is warranted to brighten your teeth and have the desired smile.
