The least damaging and most conservative way of making your
teeth lighter is with the use of a whitening solution. Contrary to what you
might think, brushing your teeth harder with an abrasive toothbrush will not
make your teeth whiter, but rather may darken them faster. The tooth-whitening
concept has been around for many years, and the techniques have become easier
and less expensive to accomplish. Tooth whitening was noted in the dental
literature in the 1920s. the technique has become easier and the cost has
decreased. Today, there are two convenient methods to whiten dark teeth:
At-Home Whitening and In-Office Whitening.
Why Do Teeth Get Yellow?
The intrinsic color of your teeth is related to the color
and thickness of the enamel and dentin, as well as the types of foods and liquids
you ingest. The thinner the enamel, the darker the underlying dentin; the more
coffee, tea, cola beverages, and red wine you drink, the darker your teeth will
be. Cracks that are commonly found in the enamel of your teeth may provide a
pathway for discoloring fluids to reach the underlying dentin.
If you have a yellow, brown, or orange shade to your teeth,
in most cases it can be made lighter by the whitening procedure. Whitening
works very well in removing age-related darkening of your teeth. This
age-related darkening is most likely due to years of drinking darkening
beverages, or other environmental factors, rather than genetics. No drilling or
anesthesia is required for whitening. Your teeth will not become weaker.
Because the mineralization of teeth varies so much from person to person, there
is no way to determine how many office visits it will take to effect the color
change or how white the teeth will get. The darker your teeth are, the more
time required for the change and the more distinctive the color change will be.
The whitening procedure will also work to a lesser degree on
teeth with tetracycline discoloration. We have seen several fair to good
results from both in-office and at-home whitening. It does take more time to
achieve good results on this type of stain, and unfortunately, sometimes the
change is minor.
Two Available Techniques
There are two types of whitening available. One is done by
the patient at home, and the other is done by us during an office visit. They
can be done separately or in conjunction with each other. The at-home technique
involves using a soft, thin, comfortable mouthguard-like tray. An impression is
made of your teeth, and custom whitening trays are fabricated. Then at home,
you place the whitening solution in the trays and wear them for an hour or two
each day or sleep with them in place at night. With in-office whitening, you
come to the office for 1 to 2 hours, and a stronger whitening solution is
applied by us and activated for that time. Usually only one visit is required.
The color change should last for 3 to 7 years in most
people. The color change you see immediately after the whitening is completed
will regress one shade over the course of 1 to 3 months, with most of the
change taking place in the first week. If you drink a lot of coffee, tea, cola
beverages, red wine, or if you smoke, the teeth may begin to turn darker again.
When this happens, the whitening process can be repeated.
The possible side effects include temporary white
discoloration of the gum tissue if the office whitening solution comes in
contact with the gum. This goes away quickly. The teeth may become slightly
sensitive to temperature changes for a short time. This also goes away quickly.
There is no damage to the tooth enamel, dentin, or pulp from the whitening
process. Fillings and crowns do not whiten. When your teeth change to a lighter
color, you may need to have those fillings and/or crowns redone. We will let
you know whether this is a possibility before we whiten your teeth. There are
no other adverse effects known.
The teeth that show when you talk, smile, or eat are the
teeth that would benefit your appearance most if whitened. Usually the top
teeth are whitened because they are much more visible than the bottom teeth,
but both arches can be successfully whitened. The lower teeth take about three
times as long to reach the color change of the top teeth.
If you have any questions about enamel
recontouring, please feel free to ask us!
Hymeadow: (512) 250-5012
Jollyville: (512) 346-8424
West William Cannon: (512) 445-5721