Whitening your teeth isn’t as easy as using a whitening toothpaste, and strips might make it seem. At Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg, Jeffrey Shapiro, DDS, and his team provide professional teeth whitening treatments to decrease staining and discoloration on your natural teeth. To book a consultation for teeth whitening, call Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg, or book online today.
Teeth Whitening Q & A
What is teeth whitening?
Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures available in dentistry, as most people equate white teeth with an attractive smile. Your teeth generally get yellower as you age as stains accumulate within the enamel from food, beverages, tobacco, or other sources.
To undergo teeth whitening, you need to have healthy teeth and gums. Dr. Shapiro evaluates you during a consultation to ensure that whitening can remove the types of stains affecting your teeth and that your mouth is healthy enough for the procedure.
During an in-office teeth whitening treatment, Dr. Shapiro and his team spread a substance containing hydrogen peroxide or some other whitening agent across the surfaces of your teeth. They may use a bright light to activate the whitener and some form of shield to cover your gums.
The whitening agent lightens your teeth by breaking apart the pigment in the stains into smaller, less-concentrated particles.
What types of staining does teeth whitening remove?
Teeth whitening works best when treating stains and discoloration that are yellow. These stains are usually in the enamel, which is the porous outer layer of your teeth. Stains like these tend to come from:
- Smoking
- Chewing tobacco
- Red wine
- Berries and berry juices
- Coffee
- Tea
- Dark soda
Some forms of discoloration appear more gray or blue. These tend to come from medications or trauma and usually won’t see a difference with professional teeth whitening treatments. To conceal a tooth that is dark in color and doesn’t respond to teeth whitening, you can get a veneer or a crown.
Does teeth whitening work for restorations?
Many people have restorations like crowns, dentures, bridges, and veneers that either replace or cover their natural teeth. Restorations like these are typically porcelain or composite resin. Unfortunately, these materials do not respond to professional whitening treatments even though some can stain or dull with time.
In order to get your restorations to match the shade of your whitened teeth, you need to replace them. If you haven’t gotten restorations yet, it might be a good idea to whiten your teeth beforehand—Dr. Shapiro color-matches restorations to the shade of your natural teeth.
Book your consultation for professional teeth whitening by phone or online with the friendly team at Complete Dental Care of Jamesburg today.