Things you need to know if you are thinking of having your teeth whitened.
Having a beautiful smile is an unbeatable letter of introduction; the mouth is one of the first aspects that we look at when entering into relationships of any kind, for this reason, teeth whitening has become an option for those who wish to improve their personal image with a more aesthetic smile.
However, there are a series of factors that must be taken into account when deciding to start this apparently simple treatment.
In the first instance, health is a primary factor before wanting to have a smile to show off, that is, it will be impossible to perform a tooth whitening if you suffer from any oral condition; cavities, periodontal disease or others are unacceptable when proceeding.
Secondly, it is important to keep in mind that teeth whitening is not a merely aesthetic process, but a medical dental treatment that involves a strict procedure and must be supervised by a specialist in the dental field who will ensure the suitability of the treatment, including the correct preservation of the treatment.
Finally, although it was mentioned before, not always a dental whitening is the solution! There are dental conditions that cannot be fixed with a whitening, although it may seem easy and accessible, it must be understood that it is something more complicated than visiting an esthetician to choose a new style for us.
As a plus, a frequently asked question is: Does it hurt? Experts assure that it generally does not. However, in some patients, tooth sensitivity may appear as a side effect, which is always reversible.
In the case of people who have dentin hypersensitivity prior to treatment, they are more likely to experience this sensation, which consists of an increase in tooth sensitivity, mainly to cold stimuli; however, this does not imply a risk for the patient.
Once all these details have been clarified, the safest thing to do is to consult your dentist or look for a new one if you do not have one. Your dental health is important!
What is the cost of this treatment?
There is no single answer, because the cost of teeth whitening will always depend on the diagnosis and prognosis of the case, as mentioned above.
Although references can certainly be consulted as to the price that this may have, it is not too concrete; it is too general as a “pack” estimate that represents an application that is likely to be ineffective.
Without having gone through a clinical evaluation, no Dentist can estimate time, neither technique nor price of a dental whitening, this should be kept in mind by any person before being hooked by any misleading offer.
There are people with teeth that take much longer than others to achieve the desired results take, and based on this is that the fees for whitening treatment will be estimated, each tooth structure is different, so it is logical that so is the treatment. Whitening healthy teeth is not the same as whitening teeth that have various problems or that have undergone processes such as root canals.
How can I prevent my teeth from turning yellow?
One of the main factors that cause the color of teeth to darken is the passage of time. If a tooth is whitened, with time it will darken again (not as the initial state but it will darken, it is inevitable). In order for this degree of whitening to last over time, maintenance measures should be taken, including, with time, some retreatment, but nothing immediately after whitening.
On the other hand, there are foods and beverages that influence the color of the teeth before, during and after whitening, but what really influences the most are inadequate hygienic measures (not brushing your teeth after every meal also counts, we know you know this), drinks that stain or darken should be avoided and also diets with foods with a lot of coloring should be controlled.
Smoking should also be avoided, although if you are a smoker, whitening can be much less effective. In people who smoke or ingest some type of substance that darkens the teeth (such as coffee), combined with poor oral hygiene, it is easier for the tooth to become opaque. This type of darkening is less important than the darkening caused by other factors, since this is at an external level. Severe tooth discoloration is associated with factors that darken the tooth from the inside, such as diseases, taking medication, problems that cause the tooth to be stained more abruptly and severely.
And something you need to know is that “whitening toothpastes” do not exist, it is a myth. There are no whitening toothpastes, they simply return the tooth to its original color but do not actually whiten. Real whitening toothpastes cannot be bought in pharmacies, in large supermarkets or on the Internet because they are whitening products in paste form and they can whiten, but it must be a dentist who provides them and explains how to use them, since it is not a treatment that a patient should apply by himself.
In other words, doing so would be the equivalent of self-medicating. In short, at present pharmacies can only dispense whitening toothpastes with a hydrogen peroxide content not exceeding a concentration of 0.1% (or carbamide peroxide of 0.3%).
However, other toothpastes can be marketed in an attempt to restore the tooth to its original color and help reduce the yellowish tone it may acquire with the passage of time. With the purpose of contributing to favor the elimination of superficial stains on the teeth and to prevent their formation.
Both the first and the second are an appropriate complement during the implementation of a whitening treatment always indicated and supervised by the dentist, specialized and personalized attention in these cases is necessary, dental health is not a game even though it is not normally a priority in the eyes of the patient who considers it purely an aesthetic issue.
