Category Archives: Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Bleaching Your Teeth With Clorox

I have some household bleach and wondered if that would work for whitening my teeth.

Danny

Dear Danny,

Tooth Bleaching Trays

While it is very possible it will whiten your teeth, I’m going to steer you a different direction. Bleach is a base. You may be familiar with another base–lye, which is extremely corrosive. Bleach is corrosive to organic tissue in a similar way. In fact, many dentists use it in a root canal treatment to dissolve the dead organic tissue left in the tooth.

I’m afraid if you used the bleach from your home, it will damage the tissue inside your mouth. This will cause you a significant amount of unnecessary problems.

The Safest Way to Whiten Your Teeth

If you truly want to whiten your teeth, there are a few ways to safely go about it.

First, you could use over the counter Crest Whitestrips. These will whiten your teeth, albeit much more slowly than professional whitening, so you will have to use quite a few kits. They also have the limitation of only affecting the front six teeth unless you wear more than one strip on each arch.

Second, you can do at home professional teeth whitening. This method uses bleaching trays like the ones pictured above. These are custom-fitted to your teeth and your dentist provides you with a strong bleaching gel to wear in them.

Finally, if you are in a hurry, you can do in-office Zoom Whitening. This will whiten your teeth in just one appointment.

Any one of those are safer options than using household bleach.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Dr. Thimmesch and Foreman.

Teeth Whitening

Luster Premium Teeth Whitening

I want to get my teeth whitened, but don’t have a ton of money. I saw an advertisement for Luster Premium Teeth Whitening. It’s at least half of what my dentist charges for teeth whitening. Before I get it I want to know if it is safe or not.

Laura

Dear Laura,

teeth whitening trays

Two Problems with Luster Premium

If what you are asking is if it will harm you, then the answer is it is safe as far as that aspect goes. However, I will say it is a waste of your money. I looked at this and see two big problems. I’ll begin with the light. It isn’t nearly strong enough to have any real effect on the teeth whitening process. The only purpose I see in it is for purely psychological reasons. In that case, they would better serve their patients by not having it there and lowering the cost even further.

A second issue is it doesn’t really whiten your teeth the way professional teeth whitening does. The whitening effect it has is actually a pigment in the ingredients (zinc oxide). This makes your teeth look whiter, but the effect fades. My guess is the positive reviews they received were written before the fading took place.

To keep your teeth the whiter shade it provides, you would have to continue to purchase it every time it wore off. Because of that, you’d actually be spending way more money than you would if you just had the bleaching done through your dentist.

Affording Teeth Whitening

Many dentists are willing to work with their patients on affordability. I’d start by talking to your dentist to see if he or she would let you pay it out. If they absolutely won’t work with you, there are some dentists who offer free teeth whitening to new patients. However, they may require you to have your cleaning and check-ups done with them first. If you decide to go that route, I’d wait until it was time to get your check-up and cleaning done anyway so you don’t pay for that twice.

Fast Teeth Whitening

If cost isn’t the factor and you liked the idea of the light that makes it “work” faster, a method like that which will actually work is Zoom Whitening. You can see if your dentist offers that option. If not, there are many who do.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Zoom Whitening

Zoom Whitening & White Spots

When my daughter’s braces were finally removed, she ended up with white spots on her teeth. Her orthodontist said her dentist could help us with that. The dentist recommended Zoom Whitening to even the teeth up, but for some reason, they now look worse than ever instead. Did something go wrong? Where do we go from here?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

Zoom Whitening Logo

While Zoom Whitening is an amazing and powerful teeth whitening system, your dentist doesn’t understand teeth whitening principles. When your teeth are whitened, they whiten evenly. That means the white spots they had will still be different from the remainder of her teeth. The difference between Zoom and take-home whitening systems is that Zoom is faster, whitening her teeth in just one appointment, rather than over several weeks.

When there are white spots after braces, it is generally a sign of decalcification. It’s difficult to brush efficiently with all those metal wires and brackets on her teeth. That’s one reason we often recommend Invisalign for teens and adults. Because these use aligners, you can simply remove them to brush and floss and then put them back on.

As for the decalcification, you do want to address that before it turns into actual decay. There is a product on the market called Tooth Mousse which is specifically designed to recalcify teeth.

Another option is to have the decalcified spots gently removed and then have composite bonding placed on top to match the remainder of the tooth.

One caveat here. Your current dentist likely isn’t qualified to do the dental bonding. Teeth whitening principles are quite basic and she missed the boat with that. Bonding is more advanced and takes some post-doctoral cosmetic dentistry training.

Best of luck to you and your daughter!

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Teeth Whitening

Brightening My Smile After Quarantine

My state is beginning to open up again and that includes our dentists. Now that I get to be in public I want to brighten up my smile. What recommendations do you have?

Melanie

Dear Melanie,

I have two suggestions for you, depending on your budget and what your ultimate goal is in regard to your smile.

Brightening Your Smile With Teeth Whitening

Woman placing teeth whitening trays on her teeth
At-home teeth whitening with custom fit trays.

This is probably the least expensive way to brighten your smile. Just by whitening your teeth, you can take years off your appearance. Most dental offices will offer at-home whitening which allows you to whiten at home at your convenience. This also has the benefit of just going to the level of whiteness you want on your teeth.

Additionally, if you’re in a hurry and just want them to get as white as they can, some offices office an in-office solution with Zoom Whitening. This will allow you to you whiten your teeth in just one appointment.

Getting a Total Smile Makeover

A single porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth
Porcelain Veneers

If you are looking to get that Hollywood type of smile, then the go-to procedure for a full-mouth reconstruction is to have porcelain veneers placed. While any dentist can do teeth whitening, it does take someone with some expertise and post-doctoral training in cosmetic work to make this work well.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Teeth Whitening

Her AT-Home Bleaching is Causing Pain

I’ve been doing at home bleaching of my teeth with a kit I purchased over the counter. Everything was fine until today. While wearing the gel strip, I had a zing of pain that lasted for about 40 seconds. I noticed the area getting the zing is a tooth where I had a chip repaired. The dentist used dental bonding to repair it. Does this mean the whitening gel is weakening the bonding?

Karen

Dear Karen,

Teeth Whitening Trays

Dental bonding is a great solution for a chipped tooth. Fortunately, the teeth whitening gel will have no effect on the bonding. The problem, based on the type of pain you are describing, likely has to do with there being a sensitive spot on your tooth. Hopefully, you are doing this bleaching under the supervision of a dentist. This way he can treat the sensitive spot.

If you’re just doing this on your own, you’re going to need to see a dentist. Don’t whiten until that spot is treated.  Be careful about DIY kits. While many times they turn out just fine, there have been occasions where it led to a person needing a root canal treatment. Until your dentist treats the area, pause your bleaching.

One thing to be aware of is that teeth whitening gel only works on natural tooth structure. That means everywhere, except where the dental bonding is will whiten. The composite material that repaired your chipped tooth will stay the same color.  This means you will have to redo the bonding to get the tooth uniform. Wait until you reach the level of whitening you want though. Then, wait a week to give the color time to stabilize.

If you ever decide you want to whiten your teeth in just one appointment, ask your dentist about Zoom Whitening.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Emily Foreman.

Teeth Whitening

Stained Dental Bonding

I have some dental bonding that seems to be picking up some stains. Would whitening toothpaste brighten them up? If not, what about professional teeth whitening?

Richard

Dear Richard,

Almost all whitening toothpastes contain abrasives. While those abrasives can make your teeth look whiter, they do so at the cost of damaging the enamel. That in turn causes your teeth to pick up stains more easily practically making you dependent on using their whitening toothpaste.

I do have a solution for you, but before I go into that, let’s talk about your second option. Professional teeth whitening isn’t a good solution either, It does a marvelous job of whitening natural tooth structure. Unfortunately, it only whitens natural tooth structure. Any dental work, such as dental bonding or dental crowns, will remain the same color.

Getting Dental Bonding Whiter

Supersmile Toothpaste

In order to get this dental bonding the way you want it, you will first need to determine the reason behind the staining. If the polish is still on your bonding, then you have surface stains. If the polish isn’t there, you’ve got to have the bonding re-done. You didn’t say how long you had the bonding. They don’t last nearly as long as something like porcelain veneers.

If the polish is still there and you’re dealing with surface stains, there is an easy solution. If you remember, I told you almost all whitening toothpastes use abrasives. The exception to this is Supersmile Toothpaste. Its stain-removing ingredient is Calprox. This enzymatically dissolves the protein pellicle layer that covers your teeth. Stains attach themselves to that pellicle and are removed simultaneously.

This blog is brought to you by the Lafayette, LA Dentists of Camellia Dental.

Teeth Whitening

How Long Should I Whiten?

I whitened my teeth a couple of years ago. Now I’m about to get a dental crown and want to touch the teeth up before having the crown made because they’ve picked up some stains since then. My dentist said he doesn’t know how to advise me so I’m turning to your blog in the hope you can. Here are my questions: 1. How long should I whiten per day and for how many days? 2. Is a waiting period necessary between whitening and getting a crown?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

teeth whitening trays

I am going to answer your questions. However, first I am going to express concern that your dentist seems unable to do so. As your dentist, he (or she) is actually in a better position to give definitive answers because he knows your dental history.

The fact that he can’t, gives me concern about his ability to create a beautiful looking porcelain crown for you. Most dentists are engineering-minded. They can create a well-fitted, functioning crown but the appearance will be mediocre at best.

My guess is this is a tooth that is visible when you smile. This makes it all the more important to know if your dentist is a skilled, artistic cosmetic dentist.

Basic Teeth Whitening Guidelines

The duration of days will depend on how long it takes you to get to the level of whiteness you want. Teeth will get whiter the longer you use the gel. As for how much per day, it depends. The minimum you should wear your whitening trays, with the gel in them of course, is 20 to 30 minutes. That’s about the amount of time necessary for the ingredients to get into your teeth.

If you’re able, teeth whitening is more effective overnight. This is because our saliva production goes down at night. During the day, saliva gets into the trays and can dilute the gel. However, I would not whiten to the point of tooth sensitivity. You are the best gauge for that.

You will want to wait a week or two between the time you complete your teeth whitening and you have your porcelain crown made. If it is going on a front tooth, wait the two full weeks. If the crown will be more toward the back, one week is sufficient.

This blog is brought to you by the Lafayette Dentists of Camellia Dental.

Teeth Whitening

How white can I get my teeth?

I am trying to figure out how white I can get my teeth. Ideally, I’d like them to match my eyeballs. Is that possible?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

I love it when I get questions that surprise me. This is one I’ve never encountered. Whether or not your teeth can match your eyeballs really depends upon how white your eyeballs are. There are limits to what teeth whitening can do. Though, you certainly can get them very white.

In general, when a patient is striving to match a certain color, we suggest they have porcelain veneers done. These can be more specifically designed to match certain colors. In addition to color, they can change the shape and size of your teeth as well. It is the go-to procedure that celebrities use to get their Hollywood smiles.

Even when patients do get porcelain veneers we always have them whiten their teeth first, this way if they have a smile that is ten teeth wide but only get six porcelain veneers, the adjacent teeth will blend in with the veneered teeth and not look out of place.

Who Should Do Your Cosmetic Work?

Here’s what I recommend. Start with the teeth whitening. That may be all you need. If you get the level of whitening you want, job done. Any dentist can do teeth whitening, even your family dentist.

If it doesn’t get to the color you want, then you’ll have to decide if you want to get a total smile makeover with porcelain veneers. This does require some rather specific training.

Unfortunately, cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty. That makes it hard for patients. Doing smile makeovers isn’t taught in dental school. The dentist has to seek post-doctoral training. The best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.