Many people come into our office wanting whiter teeth, using whitening toothpastes, and experiencing sensitivity. We have several pieces of advice for them.
1. DITCH THE WHITENING TOOTHPASTE!
- It is the main cause of tooth sensitivity in all of our patients.
2. Begin using a toothpaste for sensitivity.
- Brands we recommend: Sensodyne, Proenamel, Prevident, or any name brand tooth paste that specifically states it combats sensitivity (and does not mention whitening).
- Use Sensitivity toothpaste for at least 2 week before beginning any bleaching regiment.
3. Try crest white strips
- They are less expensive than in office bleaching and often very effective.
4. Still not white enough? Consider in office bleaching
- We create trays custom made to your teeth that hold our bleaching gel in the proper positions to evenly whiten ALL of your teeth.
- We take an initial shade and monitor your progress in office every 18 days to ensure your teeth are lightening to the shade you desire.
One last piece of advice… the best time to bleach your teeth is immediately after your 6 month cleaning. This ensures that all interproximal calculus has been removed and is not blocking the bleach from reaching your tooth surface. Additionally, plaque can also block bleach and cause areas of your teeth to not absorb the bleach, therefore remain yellow. Make sure you are adequately brushing 2x/day and flossing daily to remove all plaque from your tooth surfaces.
Call today to set up your own a bleaching consultation visit with Dr. Hillyard or Dr. Monroe: 610-566-0291