Teeth Whitening Information
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Valuable Information
Today, teeth whitening is a simple, painless, safe, and inexpensive way to whiten your teeth. Treatment involves custom fitting soft plastic stints from casts made of your teeth. There are three appointments involved.
- First you will have casts made of your teeth.
- Next, the stints will be custom fitted to your teeth, and you will be given the bleaching kit with directions. A starting shade of your teeth will also be taken at this visit.
- Last, you will need to return to the office about 2 weeks later to re-evaluate the shade of your teeth.
Teeth tend to naturally yellow with age. This is from a buildup of stain within your teeth. The following is a list of some of the many substances that stain teeth:
- Coffee, tea, and cola
- Cigarettes and other tobacco products
- Blueberries
- Chocolate
- Red wine
Products that one can obtain at the drugstore usually either coat the teeth with a white film to disguise stain or remove stain from the outer part of the tooth only. Whitening agents used in the dental office get the stain out much deeper, which not only whitens the tooth better, but also lasts much longer. The time that it will last depends on the individual, how white the teeth were when whitening was started, and eating and drinking habits.
Teeth that are yellowish tend to whiten much better than teeth that are gray. Also, some teeth have forms of deep staining which may not respond well to conventional whitening. Your dentist will need to do a thorough examination before whitening begins to make sure you do not have any decay, and to alert you to the fact that any white fillings or crowns that you may have will not change in shade.
Once whitening is completed, keep the stints that were made for touch ups in the future.