Caldieraro Dental
Staunton, Illinois

Professional teeth whitening solutions can make your teeth whiter and brighter, many times dramatically so, but it is important to get a complete dental examination first. Teeth whitening solutions will not whiten any dental work you have, such as crowns, bridges or fillings, so you may want new restorations done after your whitening to match the new shade of your teeth. Also, teeth whitening may not be recommended for patients with dental decay, cracks or leaky fillings because the whitening solution may irritate the tooth’s nerve and cause discomfort or even the need for more extreme procedures such as endodontic treatment.

Yes, there are many over-the-counter teeth whitening solutions available, however, all of these products are either only slightly effective or completely ineffective, since the concentration of ingredients in these solutions have to be low enough for general use. Because professional whitening products are applied and overseen by dental professionals, they are allowed to be of a higher concentration, and are therefore much more effective. Having your teeth whitened by a dentist also ensures that you are in the most safe and comfortable environment for your teeth whitening procedure.

All other needed restorative dental work, such as fillings, should be completed before your teeth are whitened to ensure that there is no risk to your teeth’s nerves. If you have teeth with fractures or microscopic cracks, your whitening appointment should be closely overseen by a dentist. If any teeth with fractures or cracks experience sensitivity during whitening, treatment of those teeth should be discontinued until the tooth is restored.

Tooth whitening is usually not an instant process, and your entire whitening program may take up to two weeks to complete. After completing your teeth whitening program, you should see a noticeable color change in your teeth. After this point, it usually takes one to two weeks for that color change to “set in”, so especially for the first two weeks, you should be careful of the types of food and drink you consume, as well as other tooth-staining habits like smoking. You should also not have any composite bonding done in these first few weeks to ensure good bonding strength and perfect color match. After these first few weeks, be aware that consuming coffee and tea, smoking, and other habits can re-stain your teeth, so you may want to minimize these habits and visit your dentist regularly for touch-up appointments.