Category Archives: Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Did Crest Whitestrips Cause Her to Need a Root Canal Treatment?

I went to my dentist telling him that I’m not happy about the color of my teeth. He suggested Crest Whitestrips. I used them for a bit but then I started having some pain. I took a break from them but even a week later, one of my teeth was still hurting. I went to my dentist and he did a cold test. He said that indicated I needed a root canal treatment. Could this have happened from the Whitestrips? I just wanted to whiten my teeth, especially because my dental bonding on the front of that tooth is starting to stain.

Annie

Dear Annie,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

It would be highly unlikely that Crest Whitestrips would cause a tooth to need a root canal treatment. We generally suggest that people use a dentist for their teeth whitening so that they have professional supervision of their treatment, reducing the chance of anything going wrong.

We don’t worry about that with Crest Whitestrips too much because it isn’t very strong. It’s just not potent enough to do much damage. The one thing which gives me pause is that you said you had a dental bonding repair. It’s possible that your dental bonding had a vulnerability like a small exposed part which allowed the whitening gel to get in there. Then it could cause some damage.

So you are aware, the Crest Whitestrips won’t whiten your dental bonding. In order to get that the color you want, it will have to be redone.

My suggestion is this. Get a second opinion on your root canal treatment. A cold test alone does not necessarily mean that you need a root canal. If you don’t, then get any exposed area of the bonding fixed, then have professional teeth whitening done. From there you can replace the bonding to match the new color of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by an affordable dentist in Phoenix, Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Can I Whiten My Dental Bonding?

I have dental bonding that is looking pretty rough. My dentist told me that once it is made, I won’t be able to get them any whiter than they were when I made them. What I am wondering is if I could get them as white as they were when I first got them? Will teeth whitening work that way?

Evie

Dear Evie,

teeth whitening trays
teeth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening does not work on dental bonding. In fact, it doesn’t work on any dental work. What it does work on is natural tooth structure.

You didn’t mention how long you’ve had the bonding. It’s only designed to last a few years. Then, it will need to be replaced. If you’re looking for something more permanent, I would look at porcelain veneers. These can last a lifetime if well cared for. Though, they are much more expensive up front.

If money is an issue for replacing them, then you could see if the dentist can polish them up a bit with a special diamond polishing kit. If that doesn’t work enough, your best bet is to wait and save up. Don’t look for a discount. That will end up not looking the way you want it. There are certain procedures you do not want to just go with the cheapest dentist for. Bonding is one of them.

This blog is brought to you by a friendly dentist in Phoenix Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Best Way of Touching Up Teeth Whitening?

I’m getting crowns on one of my front teeth. I had whitened my teeth a few years ago and I’d really like to touch them up to get them back to where they were before I get this dental crown done. I asked my dentist about it and he didn’t have any advice for me. What I kind of need to know is how many weeks I need to whiten and for how long each day before I’m ready to get the crown.

Barbara

Dear Barbara,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

I can give you general principles, but not exact amounts. This is because I can’t know how white your teeth are now, nor how white you want them to get. That being said, the general idea is that the longer you wear your teeth whitening trays, the faster they will whiten.

The fastest way to bleach your teeth will be to wear the trays all night. If you can tolerate that, then that would be my recommendation. If that is too challenging for you, then just wear them during the day for as long as you can tolerate them.

The one hard and fast rule I can tell you is that it will be best to wait two weeks after you have finished whitening before you get your dental crown made. This is because the whitening gel will continue to whiten for up to two weeks after you stop.

Because this is a front tooth, make sure that your dentist provides an all-porcelain crown for you instead of a porcelain fused to metal crown. Otherwise it won’t look as natural. Plus, metal based crowns eventually develop a gray line at the gumline.

I am a bit concerned that your dentist could not give you this information. It is all pretty basic. A dental crown on a front tooth is a tricky procedure. If he can’t handle teeth whitening, then I worry that he won’t be skilled enough to give you a beautiful result on your crown.

This blog is brought to you by a friendly Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Is Luster White At Home Teeth Whitening Safe?

I received an advertisement for a tooth whitening at home kit called Luster White At Home Teeth Whitening with a special light. It’s got a decent price. Before I use it, though, I want to make sure it is safe before I use it. Have you heard about this product before? There are some good reviews for it.

Angie

Dear Angie,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

While there are some over-the-counter whitening kits that work, this isn’t one of them. It’s an absolute phoney. The light they have does nothing. While that is disingenuous and unethical, if the whitening part worked most patients could live with that, though they shouldn’t have to.

Unfortunately, they are not even using a valid whitening ingredient. Instead, they are using what they call a “super whitener.” In truth, their whitener is just a pigment made of zinc oxide. It will stick to the teeth and make them look whiter but fade away. This is probably why they have some good reviews. Patients saw an improved whiteness and wrote the review before the fading kicked in. The best, most cost effective way to whiten your teeth is to have professional teeth whitening done.

Having your teeth whitened will take away the stains on your teeth. If you are looking for more than just whiter teeth, like a smile makeover, than I recommend you get porcelain veneers. They can change everything about your smile, including the shape, size, and color of your teeth. Just make sure you go to a dentist who has training and experience in placing porcelain veneers so that you can ensure you go to someone who can give you a beautiful smile.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn how we keep our prices affordable.

Teeth Whitening

Dental Crown is Too Dark

I had a dental crown placed and it is darker than the rest of my teeth. My dentist insists he gave me the whitest crown and even showed me his color contraption. It is the whitest on there. I do whiten my teeth a lot but not with my normal dentist because he doesn’t do teeth whitening, just basic dental services. Is it possible my whitening dentist could also whiten the crown?

Grace

Dear Grace,

Basic Shadewhat Guide

I’m guessing your dentist’s shade guide has colors similar to what you see above. This is a basic shade guide and pretty much the only option for many years. Then in the 90s, teeth whitening became quite popular and the whitest shades were no longer white enough. As a result, the companies that put out the shade guides came out with an updated version of the guide (pictured directly below).

Updated shade guide

As you can see, this has much whiter options for dentist to match to teeth that are regularly bleached. Because your dentist does not do much teeth whitening, he will not have the updated shade guide. Having dental crowns that match the rest of your teeth is a pretty basic expectation.

Unfortunately, teeth whitening will only work on natural tooth structure, so whitening the dental crowns is not an option. There is a solution, though. In fact you have a couple of options. First, you can show your dentist this post and ask him to get the updated shade guide in order to replace your dental crowns with some that match.

The other option is to ask your dentist for a refund and then go to your teeth whitening dentist to have the crowns done. Because they do some cosmetic work, they will likely have the updated shade guide and can get you a good match.

I hope this helps you.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn about our affordable dental options.

Teeth Whitening

Using Lemons for Teeth Whitening?

I was thinking about whitening my teeth. I know not to use household bleach. A friend of mine tried that and it ended up a disaster. I recently read an article about people who use lemons to whiten their teeth. Lest I go the way of my friend with the bleach, is this a safe option?

Tara

Dear Tara,

teeth whitening trays
teeth bleaching trays

For those reading who may not realize why you don’t use bleach to whiten your teeth, it is because bleach is a base, like lye, which is very corrosive. It can eat away at organic material. In fact, many dentists use it to do just that in cleaning out dead organic material in a root canal treatment.

As for the lemons, I don’t recommend that either. Lemons contain citric acid. What the citric acid will do is etch your teeth. While this can scrub off some surface stains, it also damages them. That damage makes them pick up stains much more easily, which will make them darker than when you first started.

There are over-the-counter whitening kits that work, like Crest Whitestrips, however they are much weaker. It will take a large number of kits to see any real difference. In the long run, that doesn’t save you much money. The safest and most cost effective way for you to whiten your teeth is using professional teeth whitening through your dentist.

You can get results much faster under the watchful eye of a dentist to ensure that nothing else goes wrong while you are getting the white smile you want. There have been cases of people needing a root canal treatment because of an over-the-counter treatment. That is the last thing you need when you are just trying to get a white smile.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Can You Bleach Your Teeth with Household Bleach?

I’m thinking about getting my teeth bleached. Before I do, I just thought I’d check about a question I have. Is there a reason that I couldn’t just use household bleach? It seems like I should be able to swish it around in my mouth every day and get some whitening, right?

Ellie

Dear Ellie,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

I like that you’re trying to think outside of the box. That being said, this won’t be a good option for you. Household bleach, such as Clorox, is a base, like Lye. These are very corrosive. Not only can they burn through living tissue, but if they combine or come in contact with certain other chemicals it can poison you by releasing chlorine gas. There are also warnings about you mixing bleach with other household cleaners for the same reason.

Something you may find interesting is that the corrosiveness of bleach makes it ideal for dentists to use it in root canal treatments. They’ll use the bleach to dissolve all the dead, organic material inside the tooth. You wouldn’t want to use it inside your mouth and let it damage your soft tissue.

When a dentist does teeth whitening, they do not use bleach. Instead, they use a special peroxide gel developed specifically to safely, but powerfully, whiten teeth. If you want to whiten your teeth, then I would recommend doing it with a dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn about how we keep our treatments affordable.

Teeth Whitening

How Long Should Free Teeth Whitening Last?

I went to a new dentist partly because I wasn’t happy with my old one and partly because this new one was offering free teeth whitening to new patients. I thought it would be the higher quality teeth whitening because they made the custom trays for me.

At first, I was quite pleased with how it was going and my teeth were much brighter. The gel lasted me about two weeks. Now, only a few months later, they are starting to stain again. I find it curious that they are staining right when it is time for me to go to a new appointment. Did they give me lesser quality whitening gel in order to keep my coming back?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

While it is true that dentists want you to come back both for their benefit and yours, it is unlikely that the gel was anything but professional strength. You saw good results after just two weeks which tells me it was the right gel.

Teeth whitening isn’t permanent and how long the teeth stay stain free depends a lot on the habits of the patient. This doesn’t just mean whether you brush regularly, which is important, but also the foods and beverages you consume.

For instance, certain beverages, such as coffee, tea, or certain wines will stain your teeth each time you consume them. If you are a smoker, that will also add to the staining. Even sauces, such as soy and curry will quickly stain your teeth. A good rule of thumb is if it will stain a white shirt, it will stain your teeth.

Keeping Them Pearly White

There are some things you can do. First, drink more water. While the water won’t whiten your teeth, it is better for both you and your teeth than coffee, tea, or alcohol. The more water you consume the better.

When you do eat or drink something that can stain your teeth, such as a delicious curry, brush your teeth afterward. Be careful though if you eat or drink anything acidic. You don’t want to brush those acids into the teeth. Neutralize those acids first by taking a quick swig of water around your mouth and then you will be fine with brushing.

Keep up your regular appointments and your dentist will very likely give you some more gel for touch ups, so keep those custom made trays. They’ll be good for years.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Premium Home Teeth Whitening

I keep receiving a Groupon order for Premium Home Teeth Whitening. Is this something worth investing in? I’ve always wanted to whiten my teeth but never really talked to my dentist about it.

Amy

Dear Amy,

teeth whitening trays
teeth bleaching trays

After looking this over, I can tell you that the whitening ingredient they use is legitimate. It will whiten your teeth. That is the good news. The only real bad news is it will not be as effective as you’d hope, even though they do have a good percentage of their active ingredient.

The reason for that is the whitening trays. Pictured above are the type of teeth whitening trays you would get with your dentist. These are custom fit to your bite. This serves to protect the whitening gel, as well as your gums.

The trays that come with this kit are not fit to your bite. It’s a DIY. This means that your saliva will leak into the trays, thereby weakening the gel. It also means some of the gel will leak out. This not only means less whitening potential for your teeth, but it can put your gums at risk. There have even been cases where patients ended up needing a root canal treatment from using an over-the-counter whitening kit.

My suggestion is you simply talk to your dentist about your desire to whiten your teeth. The cost of Premium Teeth Whitening is not that much less than what your dentist would charge you. Ask him or her if they would be willing to come down on their price a little or allow you to pay out the current cost. Most dentists are happy to find ways to help their patients afford dental work. I think you’ll end up much happier with your results that way.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Teeth Whitening

Tanda Pearl Ionic Teeth Whitening

I have teeth whitening trays my dentist made for me. He told me to wear them an hour a day, but that is hurting my jaw. I saw an advertisement for the Tanda Pearl system. They report that you only need to wear their tray for 5 minutes. It only has a few reviews. I wondered if you’ve heard of it and if you know whether it works or not.

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

Teeth Whitening Trays

I am glad you wrote. Looking at the product, it is just like any other run-of-the-mill whitening product, with the exception of their tray and light. As for the light, I don’t see anything in it that makes it work the way they are promoting. If it did, they could market it to dental offices and make a fortune. The fact that they are not, tells me that they do not want any professional scrutiny with it.

As for the trays, that is a bigger deal. Unlike your professional bleaching trays, these do not have individual trays. Instead, it is a single tray that you will bite onto and hold into your mouth for the five minutes. I actually think this will be worse for the jaw pain you are experiencing.

Not only will it be worse, but it will be less effective as well. The trays your dentist made for you should have been custom fit to your bite. We’ll get back to that in a moment. The trays that come with this kit are DIY. That means some of the whitening gel will be getting out and some of your saliva will be getting in. Both of these things dilute the effectiveness of your gel.

I’m going to suggest two things in your case. First, you don’t have to wear them for an hour. If they are bothering you, lower the wear time to half an hour. The second thing I would like you to do is to talk to your dentist about the pain you are experiencing. He or she can make sure they are actually fit to your bite correctly and make adjustments if they are not. Your teeth whitening will be much more effective with the gel and trays your dentist provides.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.