Tag Archives: tooth bleaching

Teeth Whitening

Dealing with Brown Spots on Teeth

I have very healthy teeth. The one thing that bothers me about them is the fact that there have been brown spots on some of my adult teeth ever since they came in. I’ve been told that this is because of a fever I had as a child. My dentist has been trying to help me. We’ve tried just about every over-the-counter whitening kit we could find. But none of them have done what we were hoping. She’s considering trying something where she grinds down the brown spots a bit to get to the white underneath. However, she’s not sure how much she’d have to grind. I’m a bit nervous to do this. Would professional teeth whitening do better than the stuff we’ve been trying from stores? She probably wouldn’t mind me going somewhere else just for this.

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

Please don’t let your dentist grind down the enamel on your teeth. I can tell that she means well and is trying to help, but she is in over her head. She can do some serious damage to your teeth. Teeth whitening is the easiest of cosmetic procedures and she has a fundamental lack of understanding about how that works. She is probably a great family dentist, but cosmetic dentistry is out of her reach, at least right now.

Unfortunately, professional teeth whitening won’t give the results you are looking for. They will whiten your teeth evenly, which means the rest of the tooth surrounding the brown spots will get whiter. This has the effect of making your brown spots look worse instead of better.

You do have a couple of good options, but both of them will require an expert cosmetic dentist. The first option is dental bonding. This uses a composite resin, where the dentist can sand the spots and then add the bonding on top to cover it. It has to be done freehand and very few dentists do this well.

A second option is to get porcelain veneers. This is what celebrities go to for that complete smile makeover. These use tiny wafers of porcelain to change the shape, size, and color of your teeth.

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

Teeth Whitening

Pain with Teeth Whitening

I have been whitening my teeth for a few weeks. It has recently started having a sharp pain for a few seconds. I think the pain is emanating from the repair I had done on a chipped tooth several years ago. That tooth was repaired with dental bonding. They did tell me that it would have to be replaced periodically. Does that zing mean that it is time to replace it or is the bonding being damaged by the teeth whitening?

Harper

Dear Harper,

Teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

Teeth whitening gel has not been known to weaken dental bonding. If, by some odd chance, the bonding was weakened, the repaired part of the chip would just fall off. I don’t think it would cause zings of pain but stay in place.

The type of pain you are describing could be from an exposed part where there is bonding that the bleach has caused to be sensitive. If that is the case, then your dentist could coat that part and you would be able to whiten that area without pain.

This is one of the important reasons to do bleaching under the care of a dentist. They should be checking your teeth for any weakened fillings, etc. and shore them up before you start your whitening. In fact, I know of a woman who did over-the-counter whitening and had a weak spot on her teeth. This led to her needing a root canal treatment.

This blog is brought to you by a friendly Phoenix dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.
Click here to learn how she keeps dental care affordable.

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

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.