On The Topic of Whitening…

We receive many inquiries about the best ways to whiten your teeth. At-home whitening systems and kits or in-office advanced whitening? Will my crowns and composite fillings whiten? Will my teeth be sensitive during and after whitening?

All of these things depend on the condition of your teeth, but we can answer a few questions here and now. First of all, at-home whitening can be effective. Many kits now-a-days have LED lights and use Carbamide Peroxide as their whitening agents. Research indicates that the effectiveness of LED whitening depends the hue and color of your teeth prior to whitening. Yellow-hued teeth are much more likely to whiten versus grey or brown-hued teeth. Overall in-office whitening will give you the most “bang for your buck”. In-office whitening techniques are able to use powerful peroxides to open the pores in your teeth and allow the stain to be removed. Refer to this article to learn more about our method of whitening and for the science behind whitening.

Sensitivity while whitening is a main concern of most patients. It is extremely hard to avoid, which is why at-home whitening may be recommended over powerful in-office whitening. The most important thing you can do to avoid sensitivity is to “seal” your enamel with sealant toothpaste such as MI Paste. This will coat your teeth and prevent extreme sensitivity.

Lastly, both crowns and composite fillings will not whiten, but they can stain. The best way to know what will whiten and what will not is to visit your Dentist for a consultation prior to whitening your teeth. They can tell you exactly what to expect from whitening and which system will work best for your teeth.