Whiten and Brighten

Yesterday I decided that my teeth were looking a tad buttery, and needed a touch up. I have custom molded trays, and some bleaching solution left over, so I did an intense overnight bleach.

Stupid me decided that this morning would be a good day to get a coffee. Duh.

Why is this such a dumb move? For those interested in a whiter smile, let me explain the basic do’s and don’ts of teeth whitening.

First off, the over the counter products are good. They will get you a few shades whiter, and should last you a few months. That is, IF you aren’t a huge smoker/coffee/soda/tea drinker. If you are, those strips and toothpastes aren’t going to give you the look you are going for. Whitening toothpastes are also good, they will help you maintain white teeth more than they will give you a whiter smile.

If you choose to shell out the dollars for professional teeth whitening, be wary of those fly by night places at the mall. Yes, they absolutely will make your teeth whiter, a lot whiter. You will also notice that the next day? They aren’t so white any more. The reason this happens is because those blue lights they use? They dehydrate your teeth. When teeth are dehydrated they appear far whiter than normal. You might notice the same thing when you go to the dentist for a long procedure. If your teeth are exposed to air for a long time, they dehydrate and are whiter. For this reason we take shades before any work done when we are trying to match existing teeth for crowns, bridges, and veneers.

Also important to note, no matter what type of bleaching you do, avoiding dark colored foods and drinks is imperative. I like to tell patients that whatever would stain a white t-shirt, will also stain your teeth. Just as the cotton fibers absorb that coffee, teeth that have been recently bleached have open “pores” known as dental tubules. When you introduce dark liquids to these tubules before they are covered, you are in essence pouring stain directly into your teeth.

I’ll continue this “lecture” in another post, until then, follow these tips and you will see brighter teeth in no time!