Dental restorations such as bonding, veneers, crowns, bridges, dentures, and implants cannot undergo whitening due to their construction from manufactured materials, primarily porcelain. Your dentist can only bleach natural enamel teeth if the cause is reversible.Â
Our Frisco dentists may recommend one or several treatments, depending on the source of the discoloration.
Whitening at home:
Avoid meals and beverages that cause stains. Our habits can cause tooth discoloration.
Use over-the-counter dental whiteners, such as stick-on strips or tooth-shaped trays.
Cleaning your teeth on a daily basis with regular tooth brushing and flossing is essential. Though one should be practicing good dental care anyway, stepping up your game can improve your teeth’s appearance if your habits aren’t up to par.
Whitening by a professional:
A dentist performs professional-safe teeth whitening in the chamber, using professional whitening materials and treatments to speed up the whitening process. Some items may require heat and a special light to speed up the bleaching process. Other professionally available goods will have a stronger whitener concentration, sometimes with desensitizer and a bespoke tray for improved whitener adhesion. In the hands of a qualified dentist, the treatment is entirely safe.
Dental bonding is a treatment in which your dentist uses a special curing light to set a white resin on your tooth. To improve your smile’s color and structure, the light ‘bonds’ the resin to the tooth.
Dental crowns can whiten your smile while protecting, covering, and restoring damaged teeth. Your dentist can match the color of a crown to the color of your other teeth.
Dental veneers are porcelain ‘shells’ custom-made to cover the front of your teeth and improve their color and shape. They are tiny and thin, roughly the same size as a false fingernail. If you opt for veneers, our dentist will advise you to avoid biting into tough foods with your front teeth to prevent breaking.
Is it possible to naturally whiten your teeth at home, and is it safe?
It’s normal if you want to try to whiten your own teeth. Why not? It works, is natural, and is less expensive, or so you think. It’s not always as safe, effective, and long-lasting as professional teeth whitening.
Here are some tips for DIY teeth whitening:
Fruits are delicious, but they’re terrible for your teeth. Fruits contain citric acid, which you should never use because it erodes enamel. If the magazine recommends using anything inherently acidic (like lemons, oranges, or apple cider vinegar), don’t. Save it for eating or cooking. Long-term citrus contact is like soaking your teeth in an acid bath, and it will only wear down your enamel.
There is no evidence to support the effectiveness or safety of using activated charcoal or baking soda paste to whiten teeth. Baking soda is an abrasive ingredient that can wear away the enamel on your teeth, essential for keeping them white and healthy. If you lose too much enamel, it will expose the second layer, the porous yellowish dentin. This can turn your teeth yellow, making them more susceptible to stains and cavities.
Periodicals and the internet have advertised oils and spices as natural tooth whiteners. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that turmeric will not make your teeth whiter, nor that “pulling oil” (swishing coconut oil in your mouth) would make your pearly whites any whiter. It’s best to keep both for cooking.
Try this:
Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day, once when you get up and once before bed.
To be safe, choose the right toothpaste. It would be better if a dentist had approved it.
Floss in between your teeth at least once a day.
Avoid foods and beverages like cola, coffee, tea, and red wine that stain teeth.
To avoid staining your front teeth, keep a clean, reusable straw available to sip beverages.
After drinks that contain acid or may stain, such as juice, lemonade, coffee, or red wine, sip water and rinse your mouth.
Quit tobacco, either smoking or chewing.
When it comes to your teeth, it’s critical to develop good habits. You might be able to avoid tooth discolorations by making a few simple lifestyle modifications. If you’re a coffee drinker, try cutting back or switching to a different beverage.
Also, if you smoke, get help quitting, because smoking has far-reaching consequences that go beyond your oral health. Regularly brush and floss your teeth, and schedule routine dental check-ups and cleanings every six months.
Make an appointment with our professionals to find out how to prevent and treat tooth discoloration.
