What do we see on the front of most magazines, on the television with actors, with news reporters, and on most dental websites? Beautiful people with BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL and WHITE smiles. Are most of these bright smiles natural? Or were they enhanced? Were they Zoomed???
More recently I was speaking to a lady about her treatment plan and she asked me about whitening her teeth. Whitening your teeth, and timing it appropriately, is truly a part of treatment planning. Whether it is needed or desired - that is dictated by the patient. I looked at her teeth and to me they were BEAUTIFUL – one of the whitest shades we have. She wanted them WHITER?!? How was this possible? Similarly, I have many people who have many other dental issues that need to be stabilized before teeth whitening should be done, but that is their main concern. There was even a cartoon parody of this
While I appreciate the humor, I am not saying that whitening is not a priority in the dental field. I myself recently had the opportunity to have my teeth whitened for my recent wedding– our office uses Zoom for in-house bleaching. Our dental assistant was being trained and I was to be the guinea pig (only I was a willing patient since I wanted it for those memorable wedding pictures!!!!) It was well worth the 45 minutes of treatment and after a mouth-full of cotton, you could find me in the DARK! (Just like Ross in that funny Friends episode!) I also have the bleaching tray moulds so that I can bleach at home. I LOVE whitening my teeth – it is true - it makes me feel younger, look more tan, and I just want to smile more! BLING!!!
But I just want to mention a few things you should consider before whitening your teeth.
A) Are your gums and teeth healthy? Are your teeth free of cavities, and are your gums healthy? It is important to first address these issues before you whiten your teeth
A) Do you have previous crowns or fillings on your teeth already? If so, these will not get lighter with whitening and will not change color. You might need to have them replaced in the most extreme situations if you are not happy with their color
B) Are your teeth sensitive?
a. My teeth are VERY sensitive - If this is a concern, I recommend using a fluoride mouthrinse (ACT for example) for at least a week before whitening. If possible, a prescription for Prevident 5000+ would be recommended for those VERY sensitive people, like myself. This should cost ~$20 (you can ask for a prescription from your dentist)
C) What are staining foods and do you consume a lot of them in your diet?
a. Coffee, tea, red wine, tomatoes, acidic foods
D) Do you smoke?
a. If you do, and are considering quitting or try to quit again, possibly you can use teeth whitening as an incentive. Smoking is not only harmful to your entire health, but from a dental perspective it changes circulation of your gums, it is one of the risk factors in periodontal (gum) disease, and oral cancer, and it stains your teeth, among other harmful effects.
So next time you consider bleaching, GO FOR IT – but don’t forget to consider what I’ve listed. If you have, then LIGHTS…CAMERA….ZOOM, ZOOM!!!
image courtesy of: columbiamedicalsolutions.com
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