Tag Archives: tooth bleaching

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

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.

Affordable Dentist

I Can’t Afford to Improve My Smile

I went to see my dentist about improving the look of my smile. My children are all grown and I want to enter back into the work force. My smile has yellowed over the years. Plus, my teeth are crooked in some places. My dentist suggested I get porcelain veneers and said that it would fix both problems. Unfortunately, this is way too expensive for me. Is there an affordable way to improve my smile?

Amy

Dear Amy,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

I am glad you wrote. While porcelain veneers are a great way to get that Hollywood smile, it is certainly not the only way to improve your smile. No matter what your budget, it is always a good idea to get all of your options before making your decision.

A great option for you, that will save you thousands of dollars, is to use a combination of Invisalign and teeth whitening. If your dentist does not offer Invisalign, you can go to another dentist or to have that done. Just be sure to ask your dentist for some professional teeth whitening gel.

You can wear those in your aligners , which enables you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. That will save you additional money.

When it comes to porcelain veneers, you would only want an expert cosmetic dentist to do them, and would definitely NOT want to price shop. However, both teeth whitening and Invisalign can be done by any dentist that offers them. I would call around and find an affordable dentist that offers what you need.

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

Affordable Dentist

I Hate My Smile but Have No Money to Fix It

I never got to go to the dentist growing up. My teeth are mostly healthy, though there is one cavity I haven’t taken care of yet. My bigger problem is how my smile looks. These days, everyone is expected to have a celebrity smile and I feel like some kind of imp that needs to hide in a cave.

I priced porcelain veneers, which is what everyone says is the procedure for smile makeovers. The cost is astronomical. If I owned a house, I’d have to sell it. Is there any affordable way to get a pretty smile?

Amanda

Dear Amanda,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

While porcelain veneers are a fantastic way to improve the appearance of your smile. One of the best and most affordable things you can do to improve your smile is with teeth whitening. It can make you look decades younger (though I do not know your age). It generally only costs a few hundred dollars as opposed to the thousands of dollars needed for porcelain veneers.

It is also one of those procedures that does not require any special post-doctoral training. Pretty much any dentist can do it. That also means you can shop around and find the most affordable dentist in your area to do it. Just be sure to do it right after having a check up and cleaning. Otherwise the results will be splotchy. Most dentists require a cleaning for that reason.

I want to also address the cavity you mentioned. If you are trying to save money, taking care of this cavity right away with a dental filling is the best way to do that. Filling a cavity costs significantly less than letting it grow and need a dental crown. If it gets beyond the need for a crown, then you have to extract the tooth and pay for a tooth replacement. The most affordable dentistry is preventive dentistry.

The last thing you want is for this to turn into a dental emergency.

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.

Teeth Whitening

White Spots On Teeth

My daughter had braces. When they came off there were white spots on her teeth. Our dentist suggested we have teeth whitening done to even out the whitening, but that just seems to be making it worse. What do we do?

Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

Teeth Bleaching Trays

Dear Carolyn,

Your dentist may mean well, but he or she doesn’t have a good understanding of how teeth whitening works. While a cost-effective way of helping stained teeth look younger, brighter, and more attractive, it is not useful for uneven color. This is because it will whiten your teeth evenly. Her teeth will be whiter, but so will her white spots.

The spots that developed are areas of decalcification. Those are cavities. They are pretty common after braces. Teenagers don’t always get between all those wires and brackets effectively.

One thing you can try is a product called Tooth Mousse. It is designed to help remineralize those spots. That would be my first go-to.

If that doesn’t work, then you can go to a cosmetic dentist and have both microabrasion and dental bonding done on those spots.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn how Dr. Peck keeps dentistry affordable.

Lumineers

Can I Place New Lumineers Over My Old Ones?

Hi,

I got Lumineers placed on my teeth years ago, and they are not as white as I’d like them to be. I know that porcelain crowns can’t be whitened with tooth whitening or bleaching, but I was wondering about something else I could do. Is it possible to place new, whiter Lumineers over my old ones? Is it recommended? I just want my smile to be brighter.

Thank you,

Julia, from Accident, Maryland.

 

Hi Julia,

Lumineers are an ultra-thin type of porcelain veneer marketed as a no-prep procedure, meaning they are bonded directly to your tooth without any surface preparation. Your dentist should have taken your smile concerns into consideration while making your Lumineers. Not getting the color you wanted is probably a result of your dentist lacking experience in cosmetic dentistry. A true cosmetic dentist would take your aesthetic concerns as seriously as your practical ones.

Fortunately, you can get a brighter smile if you re-do your old Lumineers. Putting new ones over your current ones will not save you any time or money, and may also feel too thick when placed in your mouth. Bonding Lumineers on top of existing ones or porcelain veneer increases the risk of failure. Also, the thin margin between where the Lumineers meet would be more prone to staining than if it were placed over a natural tooth.

So to improve the whiteness and look of your smile, you should seek out a cosmetic dentist to replace your Lumineers. Cosmetic dentistry isn’t a specialty recognized by the ADA, but some dentists have received extensive post-graduate training in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, and have the experience to help your case.

Also, be open minded when seeking a new dentist for your Lumineers – not all dentists are comfortable using them, and you may find that a different type of porcelain veneer is best for you.

This blog post is brought to you by Phoenix Lumineers provider, Dr. Hillary Peck. Dr. Peck is a general dentist who has considerable experience with cosmetic and restorative dentistry.