Considering Teeth Whitening Treatments? Which Therapy Would You Prefer?

Considering Teeth Whitening Treatments? Which Therapy Would You Prefer?

Nov 01, 2021

If you, like many people, are trying to keep your teeth white but failing in your attempt for various reasons, you might think you must seek a remedy against the problem. However, which treatment would you prefer for whitening your teeth? Would you go towards the popular remedies available over-the-counter, or would you want a dental professional to provide the results you desire? Your decision will depend on how much you want to spend on the therapy for whitening your teeth.

Teeth whitening treatments are increasingly becoming popular among everyone. Teeth discoloration is standard among people because of the foods and drinks, tobacco use, aging, trauma, and medications. If you have surface stains on your teeth, you might receive help from whitening toothpaste available in drugstores and supermarkets. However, if the staining is due to trauma, infections, or other reasons, over-the-counter remedies will not prove helpful and need assistance from a dental professional.

Why Must You Consider Dentist Provided Therapies for Teeth Whitening?

If you require whiter teeth for a special event or any other occasion, commonly available remedies in drugstores and supermarkets aren’t going to help you. Products in drugstores are not customized for any particular teeth discoloration. At best, they are a remedy for regular use and require weeks or months to deliver any results. Over-the-counter products are undoubtedly affordable but will not provide the results instantly as you desire.

On the other hand, teeth whitening treatments from the Phoenix dentist give you whiter-looking teeth by several shades in one visit in an appointment lasting just over an hour. The dentist customizes the whitening treatment for your needs after considering your oral health and discoloration. Therefore, you will likely spend more when you seek treatment from a dentist. However, even as you pay your charges for the therapy, you do so by flashing your pearly whites to everyone around because the dentist would have ensured guaranteed results.

What Is Involved in the Treatment Provided by Dentists?

When you visit the dental office of the dentist in Phoenix, the professional doesn’t start whitening your teeth immediately. Firstly they check your mouth and teeth to determine the kind of discoloration affecting you. You also receive a dental cleaning for plaque and tartar removal to ensure they don’t affect the whitening treatment. If you have issues like tooth decay or gum disease, the dentist recommends you have the infections treated before getting your teeth whitened. However, if all things are acceptable and you qualify for the treatment, the dentist begins the in-office teeth bleaching process to whiten your teeth in approximately an hour.

The Teeth Bleaching Process

Dentists don’t use whitening toothpaste to remove stains from your teeth. Instead, they use hydrogen peroxide to bleach your teeth because it is more effective to break stains on them into smaller pieces to give your teeth a whiter appearance.

The dentist starts the process by protecting your cheeks and gums to ensure you don’t experience any sensitivity from hydrogen peroxide. After protecting the soft tissues in your mouth, they apply hydrogen peroxide gel over your teeth four times during the hour at 15-minute intervals. Every 15 minutes, the existing application is suctioned off and reapplied. Heat and light also help dentists accelerate the whitening process to remove both intrinsic and extrinsic stains.

At the end of the hour, the dentist requests you to rinse your mouth and receive a fluoride treatment to battle against cavities for several months. At the same time, they also measure the color of your teeth, which would have changed by three to eight shades.

If you are not satisfied with the results or want to keep your teeth white at home after the treatment, the dentist also provides at-home whitening trays taking impressions of your mouth and creating custom trays to achieve your goal. Dentists also offer whitening gel with instructions on how and when to use them every day. Using the at-home remedy, you can maintain the results of teeth whitening treatments longer than expected.

Meals and Drinks to Avoid after Teeth Whitening

Foods and beverages are significant culprits of tooth discoloration. Therefore you must limit or avoid pigmented foods and drinks like coffee, tea, red wine, pasta, berries, et cetera. These foods contain color pigments known as chromogens that attach to the tooth enamel to leave surface stains. In addition, if you are accustomed to smoking, it helps if you realize teeth whitening treatment from a dentist costs more than a pack of cigarettes which leaves yellow stains on your teeth. Therefore you help yourself by quitting smoking for the benefit of your teeth and overall health.

Teeth whitening treatments are not permanent and require efforts from you to keep your teeth white. Therefore, besides the foods and beverages, you must maintain excellent dental hygiene and visit your dentist for six-monthly cleanings and exams without exceptions.

We welcome patients from all surrounding locations to visit our dental office in Phoenix, AZ

  • Biltmore Area
  • Glendale

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