Professional Teeth WhiteningWhenever you meet someone new, whether personally or professionally, you only have a few seconds to make the right impression and often a nice smile can make the world of difference. A beautifully white smile is automatically appealing, conveying a sense of youthfulness and good health. However, even the most well cared for teeth can discolor and stain as the years pass by, especially if you smoke or have a liking for strongly colored foods. As a result, you may cover up your mouth with your hand or will go out of your way not to smile and to show your teeth. Unfortunately, people may perceive you as cold and unfriendly when the very opposite is true. Nowadays, it is relatively common for people to whiten their teeth but even though this treatment can be very helpful, it’s important to whiten safely. This is when a professional teeth whitening treatment can be enormously beneficial.

With a Professional Treatment, You Can Whiten Safely and Comfortably

How many times have you spoken with friends or family members who have already whitened their teeth, only to discover that they felt pain or discomfort during the process? This is a frequent problem when people use over-the-counter whitening products without consulting their dentist. When you visit Dr. Donald Nimz here at McLoughlin Dental Care, he will carefully assess your suitability for teeth whitening. To whiten safely, it’s important that your teeth and gums are healthy and strong. Dr. Nimz will check you don’t have any signs of active tooth decay or gum disease before prescribing this treatment. People often complain of tooth sensitivity when using over-the-counter products, but a professional whitening treatment will be fully customized to minimize or eliminate these unwanted and uncomfortable side effects. Generally, with a professional teeth whitening treatment, you can expect to see your teeth whiten quite considerably because professional strength whitening gels can be safely used. Spokane Dental from Spokane WA shares a little about professionally made teeth whitening trays, "These trays fit your mouth specifically, ensuring that the whitening agent is evenly spread over your teeth and avoiding contact with the gum tissue, which can cause irritation."

Learn If Teeth Whitening Will Be Effective for You

Your teeth are unique and everyone will achieve slightly different results from a professional whitening treatment. After Dr. Nimz has examined your mouth, he can talk to you about the effectiveness of teeth whitening because some teeth may whiten slightly differently to others. For example, teeth that are internally stained may not respond so well to teeth whitening. A tooth may discolor and could become internally stained if it received root canal treatment. You may have tooth stains if you received tetracycline treatment, or if you were exposed to excess fluoride as a child. This can cause a condition called fluorosis that creates white lacy flecks or even brown stains on teeth. These types of discolorations may need to be treated slightly differently to help create a beautifully even white smile. Any existing dental restorations will not change color during teeth whitening. If any of these factors affect you, Dr. Nimz will discuss how they can be overcome, utilizing other treatments in conjunction with teeth whitening so that your teeth will whiten evenly.

Combining Teeth Whitening with Dental Veneers

Teeth whitening can work extremely well in conjunction with other cosmetic dental treatments, for example, dental veneers. If you do have one or two teeth that are internally stained, or which are perhaps chipped, worn or oddly shaped, you might want to consider veneers to help perfect your smile. By combining two treatments, you can improve the appearance of your teeth in a way that is cost-effective and minimally invasive. To do this, your teeth will be whitened first before your veneers are handcrafted to match the new shade of your teeth. This ensures that your new smile will look very natural.

Professional Teeth Whitening Is Economical

A professional teeth whitening treatment is extremely cost-effective, whether you choose to whiten in-office or to comfortably whiten at home. When you whiten in your dental office, the treatment can take as little as an hour and your teeth will brighten by several shades. The most economical way to whiten is to choose a custom-made home whitening kit and there are a couple of advantages in choosing this option. With a custom-made whitening kit, you will receive mouth trays made to fit exactly over your teeth and which are very easy to use. You will be given instructions on filling and inserting the trays, and exactly how long they can be left in your mouth. This is normally a few hours or even overnight. This option can be advantageous if you have particularly sensitive teeth because a lower strength whitening gel can be prescribed to minimize any tooth sensitivity. A home whitening kit also gives you more control over the teeth whitening process as you gradually whiten your teeth over a couple of weeks. Provided your teeth don’t change shape or position, you can reuse the whitening trays when you want to top up your smile, as when the time comes McLoughlin Dental Care can prescribe more whitening gel.

Get Professional Advice on How to Maintain Your Beautifully White Teeth

When you whiten your teeth with us here at McLoughlin Dental Care, we can provide you with all sorts of useful information on how to maintain your healthy white smile. This includes advice about which foods are best to avoid eating immediately after whitening while your teeth are still settling down and information on how to prolong the results. For example, there are a few tips and tricks that can help quite a bit, such as drinking colored or very acidic liquids through a straw and rinsing your mouth with plain water after you eat something highly colored. Of course, it’s always important to make sure you keep up with your regular checkups and cleanings.

Why You Should Only Trust a Dental Professional to Whiten Your Teeth

Please remember, teeth whitening is a dental treatment and when whitening products are incorrectly used or are applied in the wrong situations, there is the potential they could harm your dental health. A professional tooth whitening treatment is always the best option and is why you should never trust your dental health to someone who isn’t a trained and qualified dental professional. You only have one set of adult teeth so why trust them to the care of someone who hasn’t received proper training? With a professional teeth whitening treatment here at McLoughlin Dental Care in Milwaukie, Oregon you will have nice white teeth but our top priority is to always make sure they are beautifully healthy.