Teeth Whitening
Today people pay much attention to the way they look. You can see this by looking around at the number of people who wear makeup, buy anti-wrinkle cream, and seek out teeth whitening products. At Cornelius Dental Clinic we see a countless number of people for this cosmetic dentistry procedure.
Understanding The How And Why Behind The Teeth Whitening Process
There are many reasons to consider whitening your teeth, but they’re all cosmetic in nature. As you grow older, you may encounter some health reasons for why you want to whiten your teeth. This is primarily because your tooth enamel will eventually start to wear down, resulting in some oral health issues.
By whitening your teeth, you’re either restoring them to their natural shade, or you could choose to make them look better than they did originally. This is done by removing any stains on your teeth’s surface that have been caused by things like smoking, wine, coffee, or tea. The length of time necessary to complete this process varies depending on how discolored your teeth are. However, we can usually whiten your teeth in about 30-90 minutes per visit, but you may need as many as three visits depending on just how severely stained your teeth are.
How To Whiten Your Teeth
Although it’s perfectly safe to whiten your teeth, you should know that doing so could make them feel more sensitive – especially immediately after you’ve completed the process. You’re more likely to experience this type of sensitivity if you don’t have a healthy smile. For instance, if you have tooth decay or your gums are receding, whitening your teeth could make them feel more sensitive. Typically, this is something you’ll feel on an initial visit to our office, but that will diminish soon afterward.
Besides causing some issues with sensitivity, this is a perfectly safe procedure. You can think of it like bleaching your teeth, which is why some people will start by using tooth whitening toothpaste before moving on to seek help from us. While this toothpaste should remove any surface stains, it doesn’t contain any bleach. Instead, these toothpaste contain either carbamide or hydrogen peroxide – products that’ll help lighten the color that’s found deep within your teeth.
Many people have found that these toothpastes don’t produce the results they were hoping for, so they’ll visit our office instead. Here we use a process that begins with placing a rubber shield or some gel on your gums to protect them from the whitening product that we place in a specially made mouthguard. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that’ll work if you have ceramic or porcelain crowns or veneers. It only works on your natural teeth. The only way to get your crowns or veneers whiter is by removing and replacing them.
When you’re ready to safely obtain long-lasting results that leave your teeth whiter and your smile brighter, make an appointment with Cornelius Dental Clinic at (971) 317-9323. Over the years we’ve successfully helped many patients in this regard, and you should be next.