Answers From Your Dentist: What to Do When Teeth Whitening At Home Doesn’t Work

Having a whiter, brighter smile is something that most people would like to have, which is why many individuals try over-the-counter teeth whitening products to lighten their teeth. Unfortunately, you may have found that these products don’t work for you, which may be due to a variety of reasons.

What Could Cause Your Teeth To Not Be White

For one thing, you should understand that if your teeth are discolored, it may not be due to any lack of hygiene on your part. Even a person with the best dental hygiene can have difficulty with the color of their teeth, and no over-the-counter teeth whitening kit can correct the issue. Some of the reasons why your teeth may not be as white as you’d like are:

• Enamel density – Your teeth are sheathed in layers of enamel, which is the lighter and brighter than the yellow dentin underneath. As your enamel thins over time, more of the yellow will show through.
• Genetics – Some people are simply genetically prone to having less white teeth. This genetic propensity can leave you with more porous teeth, more yellow or thinner enamel, and other issues.
• Dead tooth – If you have one or more teeth which have undergone trauma and died, they can be permanently discolored.
• Chronic illness – Some chronic illnesses such as fluorosis and celiac disease can cause discoloration on your teeth.
• Stains – Acquired through different foods and drinks, teeth can become stained beyond the amount that simple teeth brushing can correct.

If any of these reasons are why your teeth are not as white as you like, it is not likely that your average, store-bought teeth whitening product will be able to help.

Signs You Should Stop Using The At-Home Whitening Kit

The main whitening ingredient in teeth whitening products is hydrogen peroxide. This chemical is in whitening toothpaste, whitening kits, and other products. However, there is a limited amount in over-the-counter teeth whitening products, making them less potent.

Because these store-bought whitening items are less powerful, some people try to use them beyond what they should. Signs that you should stop using these at-home whitening kits are:

• Tooth sensitivity
• Irritated gums
• Bleeding gums
• Overly bleached teeth
• Thinned enamel

Instead of endangering your teeth with these whitening products, you can turn to our dentists to make your teeth white.

Professional Teeth Whitening Options For A Brighter Smile

When your store-bought teeth whitening products fail to deliver the smile you were looking for, you still have options available to you. Here at Riverside Dental Care, our dentists can provide a variety of professional teeth whitening options for you to choose from.

In-Office Professional Teeth Whitening

To whiten your natural teeth, professional teeth whitening is the way to go. Our dentists have access to stronger hydrogen peroxide solutions than over-the-counter, which can whiten your teeth faster and more quickly than store-bought whitening products. A couple of options are:

• Teeth whitening trays – Our dentists will check to see if there are any issues with your teeth before moving forward with creating custom-fit whitening trays and providing you with whitening solution to use at home. With fitted dental trays, your teeth will have better coverage and whiten more evenly.
• In-office laser treatment – For far faster teeth whitening, there is in-office laser treatment. These treatments can make your teeth feel a bit sensitive for a while, but even after one treatment, your teeth are whiter.

Our dentists will need to consult with you to determine if you are a good candidate, as there are some things which may make it impossible for you to have these types of teeth whitening treatments.

Cosmetic Bonding

An affordable option to whiten your smile if you have stubborn dental stains is cosmetic bonding with composite resin. This material can be applied to your teeth to layer over stains, repair chips in your teeth, correct gaps, and other issues.

As composite dental resin is easily bonded to teeth, you can have this done in one visit to our dental office, though a consultation appointment may be needed first.

Porcelain Veneers

A natural and beautiful option is porcelain veneers. To whiten and reshape your smile, thin sheaves of porcelain are placed over the top, visible portion of your teeth.

These can cover up the worst stains and discolorations than cosmetic bonding is able to do. Porcelain veneers can also last longer than composite resin and will often keep your smile bright for over ten years.

To work with one of our excellent dentists on whitening your smile, contact us today to set up your consultation.