Teeth Whitening in Poway

Teeth whitening is affordable, offers fast results, and is completely non-invasive. That means it’s a great way to get started with cosmetic dentistry, even if you’ve never had a cosmetic procedure done before.

It also helps boost your confidence. Stains may make you hide your teeth when you smile, speak, or even eat around other people. With teeth whitening, you can feel confident about your teeth once again. Teeth whitening also helps rejuvenate your appearance, since teeth stains can make you look older than you really are.

Teeth whitening typically lasts for 2 to 3 years if you practice good oral hygiene, avoid sources of staining, and keep up with regular dental cleanings. However, if you don’t do any of these things and don’t engage in stain prevention, your whitened teeth may become discolored within 6 months.

To prolong the results of your teeth whitening treatment, you must brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss your teeth once daily. This prevents plaque buildup that can discolor your teeth as well as cavities that can darken your teeth.

Avoid smoking and all tobacco products which negatively affect your oral health and stain your teeth. Foods and drinks like coffee, tea, red wine, berries, dark sauces, and beets should be avoided.

They contain chromogens which are discolored molecules that stick to your teeth and stain them over time. Prevention is your best bet to keep your teeth as white as possible. Dental cleanings every 6 months will remove food particles, surface stains, and bacteria that cause discoloration.

Over time, you may want to get another whitening touch-up, especially if it’s too difficult for you to completely avoid staining habits. How often you will need to get whitening touch-ups depends on how well you maintain your whitened teeth through prevention and good oral hygiene.

Since teeth whitening is only a temporary treatment, you will need to keep up with it if you want to maintain the same results. With that being said, over-whitening can damage your tooth enamel, cause irritation, and result in extreme tooth sensitivity. Some dentists recommend whitening every 3 months while others recommend once a year. Ultimately, this depends on the condition of your teeth and how discolored they have become.

Some patients may be able to maintain white teeth through prevention and dental cleanings alone. It’s not advisable to whiten your teeth more than once every 3 months. Dr. Leila will assess your teeth and let you know if your teeth need another touch-up.

Teeth whitening demineralizes your teeth to help the whitening agent work through the teeth to remove intrinsic stains that are below the enamel. By doing this, microtubules or the dentin layer of the teeth become exposed.

This is where your tooth is connected to its nerves and when they become porous, this leads to hypersensitivity. Don’t worry, the sensitivity should be mild and will only last a few days until the teeth naturally remineralize.

You should brush your teeth with a desensitizing toothpaste or apply a desensitizing gel. Avoid hot and cold foods for a few days. Sensitivity is more common in response to in-office whitening because we apply a higher concentration of peroxide which makes the teeth more porous. Take-home whitening contains a lower concentration of peroxide and this can reduce the sensitivity side effect.