Tag Archives: Teeth Whitening

Dental Implants

Do I Need Bone Grafting?

I’ve been reading a lot of dental websites to try and get a better smile. Yours has some good information. Here are my problems. I know my teeth are showing their age and will need to be whitened. I also have had a dental bridge since I was fifteen. I can see the area looks a little different and, after reading about tooth loss, wonder if I need some bone grafting there. I’m also thinking one of the teeth that holds the bridge is coming a bit loose. Should I replace that with a dental implant? How do I find someone who can do all of this?

Emily

Dear Emily,

diagram of a dental implant next to a natural tooth

I’ll start with the teeth whitening because that is the easy part. Almost any dentist can do that. Plus, you’ll want to whiten your teeth before you make any changes in your dental work so that you can make sure the new dental work will match the lovely brighter color you end up with. If you are in a hurry to get onto the other work, Zoom whitening will allow you to whiten your teeth in one dental appointment.

If your anchor tooth (one of the two teeth that are helping to support your dental bridge) is coming loose, then you will want to replace that. Some teeth are better suited to being anchor teeth than others. Biting and twisting forces when you eat have a big impact on that. I would replace that tooth with a dental implant. In fact, you can can also replace the original missing tooth with a dental implant  at the same time. If your other anchor tooth is fine, then you can just get a dental crown for that tooth. It’s almost always best to keep as many natural teeth as possible.

You are correct that when teeth have been missing for a while that the bone in that area begins to shrink. This is because your body resorb the minerals in that area to use elsewhere in your body where they are still needed to support things. Bone grafting will fix that.

Look for a dentist who has post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. You can generally find that in the dentist bio on their website. Then, when you meet with the dentist, ask them about their success rate. If it is anything less than 95%, find another dentist to do the procedure.

This blog is brought to you by compassionate dentists in Lafayette, LA, Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

Will Invisalign Affect My Speech?

I mostly work from. home but occasionally have to hold meetings with clients over Zoom.  I have been considering getting Invisalign to finally straighten my teeth. However I am worried about how it will impact my speech. Will I have trouble with clear speech?

Marta

Dear Marta,

Invisalign aligner

It is understandable that you want to look and sound confident and professional when you are meeting with clients. Knowing ahead of time how the Invisalign aligners will affect your speech is both wise and prudent. The good news is that the aligners truly are invisible so you can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing.

As for the speech issue, while some patients notice a temporary adjustment period with speech, most find it improves quickly. Invisalign trays add a very thin layer over the teeth, which can subtly change your tongue’s placement. Because of this, certain sounds—especially “s,” “sh,” “th,” or “z” sounds—may feel slightly different at first. Luckily, this is very easy to fix.

Most patients describe this as more of an adjustment than a major problem. In many cases, speech improves within a few days to a couple of weeks as the tongue naturally adapts to the aligners. Even when that happens, it is usually the patient that notices the change rather than anyone who hears them speaking, including close friends and coworkers.

Patients who adapt the fastest often practice speaking out loud for about ten minutes a day. They do this by reading a book or article. This helps patient’s tongues to adjust more quickly. Some people also find it helpful to rehearse important presentations ahead of time while wearing their trays so they feel more confident during meetings.

There’s also an unexpected bonus many Invisalign patients enjoy.  Invisalign trays can often double as whitening trays. Ask your dentist to provide you with a professional-strength whitening gel  during your treatment. Even practices that prefer in-office whitening systems, such as Zoom Whitening, often have touch-up whitening gel available.

That means you may be able to straighten and whiten your smile at the same time—helping you feel even more confident on video calls, presentations, and everyday interactions. It’s like getting a mini smile makeover for a fraction of the price.

This blog is brought to you by the gentle dentists in Lafayette, LA Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

Please Don’t Do Lumineers for This

I wanted to get my smile fixed. I have two canines that stick out which make me look a bit like a vampire, minus the youthful looks, along with one crooked front tooth. I  was thinking I could get Invisalign and maybe whiten them. My dentist pointed out that I would still be left with the chipped tooth. Instead, he suggested Lumineers, which he said can take care of all three problems at once. I liked that idea but the price seems a bit steep compared to what I was planning. Is there something that could take care of the chipped tooth which isn’t as much as Lumineers?

Joyce

Dear Joyce,

Invisalign aligner

I’m glad you wrote. Whatever you do, even if you had gobs of money to waste on it. Lumineers are just a brand of porcelain veneers . They tend to be marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because they don’t necessarily require any tooth prep.

While that might be okay for teeth that go in some. Yours are going out. Using no prep veneers on them will make them look bulky. Some with similar experiences said they felt like they had horse teeth.

I think your idea of Invisalign and teeth whitening was fantastic. You can fix the chipped tooth with dental bonding once you are done with your orthodontic treatment.

Your dentist can provide you with a teeth whitening gel that you can wear in your Invisalign aligners which will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.

Most of what we talked about can be done safely with any dentist who offers the procedure. One exception to that will be your dental bonding to repair the chip.  This an advanced dental procedure that has to be done freehand. I would only let an expert cosmetic dentist do that part.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch, friendly dentists in Lafayette, LA.

Best Dentist in Lafayette

My Dentist Said I Can’t Get White Crowns

Years ago, I got ten dental crowns on my upper teeth for a smile makeover that need to be replaced. When I first got my smile makeover,  originally,  they’d talked me into a color that was darker than what I originally wanted. They said this was because it needed to look natural. I’ve always regretted letting them talk me into that color. Now that I’m getting them replaced, I’d like to remedy that. However, I’m running into a problem. My new dentist wants me to get a B1. Those are not much whiter than my original ones. I told him that I wanted them much whiter. He said that this is not possible because I have posts in my teeth which will show through if I get them too white.  Is that true?

Sandy

Dear Sandy,

woman with dentist

I don’t think you are with the best dentist for what you are wanting to do. He is confusing color with translucency. Having a crown whiter does not mean that it will be translucent. Those are completely separate factors.

If your post does not show through at a darker color, they will not show through on a super white color like BL1. However, you need an expert cosmetic dentist to do this well.

I know it will be tempting to just tell your dentist that you insist he give you the color you want for your dental crowns. However, if he doesn’t know how to do this properly, your smile will not end up looking right.

My suggestion is that you find a dentist with post-doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry so that he’ll know how to do it right. There are tons of cosmetic dentistry horror stories by people who let an unqualified  dentist do their work. The top cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited.

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

 

Zoom Whitening

Whitening Teeth Myself

I asked my doctor about why I couldn’t whiten my teeth using Clorox bleach and he gave me a whole litany of reasons. After he acted like I was an idiot and pretty much said so, he also added that dentists don’t use bleach like I was planning to but a peroxide bleaching gel. I was too embarrassed to talk to him any more about it. Now that I’m home, I’m wondering if I can use household peroxide to do the same thing? Please don’t tell me I’m an idiot. Just explain yes or no.

Carla

Dear Carla,

Person under a zoom whitening light
Patient Under Zoom Whitening Light

 

I’m glad you wrote. First, you should never suffer verbal abuse or condescension from a medical professional. I would like to gently suggest you look for a new dentist. Your question was not stupid and neither is the one you asked me. Rather, it shows an inquisitive mind trying to put together care for herself with the information she has.

While peroxide does whiten, what you get with a bottle you could purchase over-the-counter will not give you what you need. It is only 3%. What your dentist will use will be a minimum of 33%. However, the strength is not the only obstacle. The peroxide would need to stay on your teeth for a minimum of fifteen minutes to have an effect. The only way to keep that on your teeth with the home peroxide is to swish it around in your mouth for that length of time. That would be challenging to say the least.

Your dentist accomplishes this by using it in a gel and either putting it in teeth bleaching trays to keep it on your teeth or painting it on with Zoom Whitening.

A second consideration is the importance of being under the care of a dentist during the procedure. There have been cases where someone used an over-the-counter whitening product that is considered safe and still ended up needing a root canal treatment as a result of the whitening. The last thing you need is ending up with a dental emergency simply because you wanted a whiter smile.

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

Invisalign

Will Invisalign Work for Me?

I went to see an orthodontist about options in fixing my teeth. I was hoping to avoid braces altogether. I have some front teeth that are crooked. The orthodontist said that he tried Invisalign quite a few years ago and it did not work for the patients he tried it on. He’s recommending traditional braces. Is this my only option?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

Invisalign aligner

I’m glad you wrote. No, it is not your only option. It sounds like your orthodontist only tried Invisalign when they first came out. In the beginning, Invisalign would only work on the most ideal cases. Since then, they have made great strides in being able to handle more cases. In fact, as of this post, Invisalign is able to treat all but the most complicated cases.

Orthodontists were trained in traditional braces. Not all of them are comfortable moving out of their original training. Plus, general dentists can provide Invisalign, which cuts into an orthodontist’s business.

You mentioned that you just had some front teeth that are crooked. Unless there is something extraordinarily unusual about your case, then Invisalign is a great solution for you. In fact, it even has a hidden benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. You just need to ask your dentist to provide you with some professional strength teeth whitening gel. You place the gel inside your aligners at a time that is convenient to you.

This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving you the equivalent of a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost that it would be if you did the two procedures separately. Even dentists who only offer Zoom Whitening can provide you with whitening gel for your aligners.

I hope this helps. Talk to a few dentists who offer Invisalign. This will give you more than one opinion about your particular case. Based on what you’ve described, I don’t think you are going to have any problems.

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

Zoom Whitening

Can Zoom Fix Dental Bonding

I have dental bonding that is really picking up stains. I asked my dentist for take home whitening trays to try to get them back to the whiteness they had. I know they can’t get whiter than they were originally made. But, my dentist told me that teeth whitening won’t get them to their color again. I know zoom whitening is stronger than your typical teeth whitening. Would that have more success? My dentist doesn’t have zoom so I don’t think he’d tell me if that would work.

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Someone using a Zoom Whitening Light

While Zoom Whitening is a bit stronger than the take home whitening, they both work on the same principles, so they will only whiten your natural tooth structure. Neither of them will have an impact on your dental bonding. There is a possibility if the stains are all surface stains that your dentist could polish them up a bit. However, if they are internal stains he won’t be able to do anything about those. Dental bonding is made with composite material, so they are not very stain resistant and you should expect to have to replace them every few years.

If you’re looking for something more permanent, you could look into porcelain veneers. They can last a lifetime and are more stain resistant than both dental bonding as well as your natural tooth structure. They can also change anything about your smile, including the shape, size, and color in order to give you a complete smile makeover. However, they are much more expensive than simply replacing your dental bonding.

Whichever you decide on, you’ll want to make certain that you have an expert cosmetic dentist do the work.

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

Invisalign

How Often Do I Have to See a Dentist With Invisalign?

My husband knows that I have always been embarrassed with my smile. For this year’s birthday, he told me that I could do anything I want with my smile to fix it. I’ve been looking at options and decided I want to get my teeth whitened and get Invisalign. It looks like I get new aligners every two weeks. So, my only hesitation is that I have six kids. Yes, I know what causes that. I’ve heard all the jokes so don’t bother. They’re all under the age that I can leave them home safely and babysitters for that amount of children are expensive, as you can imagine. Do you think the dentist will let me come less than every two weeks?

Tamar

Dear Tamar,

Invisalign aligner

You’ll find that Invisalign has a very high patient satisfaction rate, so I think you will be remarkably happy with your choice. I also have a couple of pieces of good news for you.

First, even though you switch out the aligners every two weeks, your dentist will give you two pairs of aligners at a time. That means you would likely only need to go in once a month. However, given your situation. I think as long as there are not any complicating factors with your case, if you explain things to your dentist, he may be willing to let you come in even less.

Second, the aligners you will use to straighten your teeth can also double as teeth whitening trays. This means you can straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. This will save you additional money because you will not need to have custom fitted teeth whitening trays made. Instead, you’ll just need your dentist to provide you with the whitening gel which you can wear in your Invisalign trays at your convenience.

Even dentists who only offer Zoom Whitening will be able to provide you with whitening gel to use.

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

Zoom Whitening

Lemons for Teeth Whitening

I want to whiten my teeth but I don’t want to wear those trays. I was thinking of using lemon to whiten my teeth. I’ve heard that is a good way to remove stains. Is there a special procedure to do this?

Helen

Dear Helen,

lemons

There are countless articles online about ways you can DIY your teeth whitening. I don’t know any of them that are safe. If you are looking for something that you can do over-the-counter, like a whitening kit, I would recommend Crest Whitestrips.

While it does work, it is much weaker than anything you would get from your dentist. However, this is even messier than trays because there is nothing to contain the gel and the strips will slip and slide.

I do not recommend using lemons to whiten your teeth. The main reason for that is because lemon is a citrus fruit. That means it contains citric acid. If you use something containing citric acid on your teeth, it causes damage to the enamel. At first they may look a little whiter because the acid will etch away those stains, but that etching will also take away the protection for your teeth, which means that the teeth will end up looking darker.

Years ago, there was actually an at-home kit that used citrus to whiten teeth. It would start with a slurry to put on the teeth, which did make the teeth look whiter. Soon, however, the patients found their teeth ended up darker. This didn’t last on the market long.

If you are drinking either a citrus drink or a soda (which also contains citric acid), it is important that you rinse out your mouth before brushing your teeth. Otherwise you end up grinding the acid into your enamel.

If you do not want to do at-home whitening with trays, there is an option to get your teeth whitened faster. In fact, you can whiten your teeth in just one appointment with Zoom Whitening. Not all dentists do this procedure, but I feel confident you won’t have trouble finding one.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.
Click here to learn about smile makeovers with porcelain veneers.

Sedation Dentist

Can I Really Wake Up with a Whole New Smile?

I was at my dentist’s office for a check up and mentioned to him that I was thinking about improving my smile. Honestly, I was just thinking about whitening my teeth, but he’s suggesting something completely different. He wants to crown all of my teeth for a complete smile makeover. He said I could even use dental sedation which means I could go to sleep and wake up with a whole new smile. I don’t know why I feel uneasy about the situation. Maybe it just sounds too good to be true to take a nap and get a prettier smile. What do you think?

Laura

Dear Laura,

Woman resting in dental chair from dental sedation

You have good instincts. Dental sedation is a wonderful tool to help patients with dental anxiety get the care that they need without fear. While it is true that you can completely sleep through your procedure, I would not recommend that for any type of cosmetic work. One thing that is important when it comes to a smile makeover is that you get to approve the work before it is permanently bonded on. You can’t really do that if you’re asleep.

If you were an extremely anxious patient, then I would say it is okay to use nitrous oxide. This way your dentist can turn the nitrous to oxygen and you will be lucid and ready to approve or disapprove anything. I can’t say I trust your dentist at this point. It’s not just the recommending sedation, which is a big red flag in this situation. It’s also that he is recommending crowning every tooth.

You just wanted to whiten your teeth, which (believe it or not) is done with a simple teeth whitening procedure. Even if you wanted a total smile makeover, what your dentist is recommending is a huge overtreatment. The typical procedure for a smile makeover is to get porcelain veneers, which does not require grinding down your healthy teeth. Plus, at the most you would only cover the teeth that are visible when you smile and use teeth whitening for the remainder so that they blend in naturally.

If a dentist is suggesting porcelain crowns for healthy teeth, it is a sign that they do not know how to do porcelain veneers. So, they’re pointing you toward a procedure they do know how to do. Unfortunately, knowing how to do dental crowns and knowing how to do a smile makeover are completely different skills. If they’re not skilled in porcelain veneers I would not expect a beautiful result.

My recommendation is that you get just the procedure you originally wanted. While it takes real expertise to do a smile makeover, any dentist can do teeth whitening. If you find a dentist who does Zoom Whitening, you can get your teeth whitened in just one appointment.

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