How can we help you?
We are happy to answer questions about our services and procedures.
These are a selection of some common questions that patients have. If your question isn't answered here, please contact our office. It's important to us that our patients understand their dental care.
Teeth Whitening
Generally speaking, teeth will yellow or orange discoloration will respond extremely well to whitening. Teeth that have bluish-gray tint/discoloration generally are more difficult to treat with whitening.
There are several ways to improve the whiteness of your teeth:
- Maintain Good Oral Hygiene Habits – Maintaining a gleaming smile without clean and healthy teeth and gums is extremely difficult. Before looking into any specialized teeth whitening solutions, ensure you brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss daily to remove plaque and surface stains.
- Limit staining foods and drinks – To maintain teeth whiteness, avoid certain foods (like beets and dark berries) and drinks (coffee, tea, red wine) that can stain teeth. If you consume any of these, rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash afterward.
- Avoid tobacco products – This is fairly straightforward. All tobacco, whether smoking cigarettes, cigars or smokeless chewing tobacco, or “dip” that goes inside the cheek or bottom lips and presses against the teeth, is notorious for staining teeth.
- Whitening toothpaste – whitening toothpaste, available at supermarkets and pharmacies, contain mild abrasives that can help remove surface stains, though these will likely be less effective against deeper stains.
- At-home whitening treatments – Also available at most outlets at which whitening toothpaste is available are a variety of teeth-whitening treatments, typically containing hydrogen peroxide, which you can administer at home via gels, trays, or whitening strips. Speak with your dentist before starting any at-home treatment, and be sure to follow any treatment’s instructions carefully.
- Professional teeth whitening – Professional teeth whitening, provided in-office by your dentist, uses stronger whitening agents, like Opalescence Boost’s chemically-activated whitening gel, will likely provide you with the most immediate, dramatic, and long-lasting results.
There are certain foods that may stain your teeth, like coffee, tea, red wine, and dark-colored fruits. Having good home care will help prevent daily staining. Surface stains that do accumulate can be removed by your dental hygienist every six months. Over-the-counter and in-office whitening treatments can improve the brightness of your teeth by lightening the first few layers of enamel.
Teeth Whitening in Chattanooga
Contact us to learn more about teeth whitening!
Generally, whitening usually lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 years. Sometimes whitening can last much longer in certain situations. If you consume a lot of food and drinks that stains considerably, then the whitening effect will not last as long.
While the whitening kits you can find at your local drugstore cost less than professional kits, the truth is that this is a case where you get what you pay for.
Drugstore whitening kits are designed to be "one size fits all," which often translates to "one size fits none." The strengths are much lower than what you can get in a professional kit, meaning that you must use the product for a longer period of time and are still unlikely to get the results you can find in a professional product. Additionally, your results are not being monitored by the dentist you know and trust. Give our office a call today!
Teeth staining can have several different causes. Some of the most common culprits we see include:
- Smoking
- Drinking staining beverages such as coffee, tea, and red wine
- Eating staining foods like berries and curry
- Inadequate dental hygiene
- Certain health conditions
- Genetics
Unfortunately, whitening will not change the color of your restorations(fillings/crowns/onlays/inlays). It was important to whiten your teeth before you have any restorations completed that may appear in your smile.
It shouldn't.
Most professional whitening products contain an added desensitizing ingredient that protects even sensitive teeth and keeps you comfortable during the process. Additionally, the customizable nature of professional whitening treatments prevents the product from coming into contact with soft tissues like your gums, lips, and tongue.
If your teeth are very sensitive, please talk to us so that we can help you determine whether whitening is appropriate for you.