Can A Smile Be Too White?
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
You can’t surf most websites without seeing an ad for teeth whitening services or products these days. Teeth whitening has become a national fascination as Hollywood stars flash their gleaming smiles for the cameras. However, it’s just not for the rich and famous anymore. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), teeth whitening procedures are becoming the most requested cosmetic dental procedure. Furthermore, in-home, self administered teeth whitening systems are more popular than ever with roughly close to a billion and a half dollars worth of over-the-counter teeth bleaching products sold per year.
Common questions people have is how bright can a person actually get their teeth and what can happen if someone bleaches their teeth too much?
Most importantly a dental office can do a much better job of teeth bleaching than over-the-counter do it yourself kits. The attention to detail of the application process limits any damage you might receive from self-administered teeth bleaching kits. In a typical dental office an application of hi-potency hydrogen peroxide solution is applied to the teeth. Care is taken to protect the surrounding gums with a protective coating and then an ultraviolet light is focused onto the teeth for around forty five minutes.
The ultraviolet light accelerates photoinitiators in the whitening gel which whitens the teeth. After an initial treatment the teeth can be very sensitive for up to several hours. Taking a dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help ease the discomfort.
After the initial treatment your dentist will create a custom fitted mold for your mouth for maintenance bleaching at home. The molds or “bleaching trays” hold the bleaching agent against the teeth. Using too much of the bleaching agent will cause it to spill out over the gums and cause irritation to the soft tissue.
Most drug-store or mail order teeth whitening kits are not custom made and fit poorly against the teeth which can cause excessive gum irritation and poor results.
After a teeth whitening session most dentists recommend using teeth whitening toothpaste to maintain the teeth between treatments.
Excessive bleaching may lead to long term damage of the enamel of the teeth and in some cases the damage can be irreversible. When it comes to teeth bleaching, moderation is the key. Teeth bleaching should be done no more than a couple times a year in a dentist office with follow up treatments around a few days every couple months. Bleaching too often will cause the teeth to be come dehydrated, brittle and susceptible to staining since the pores of the teeth are free of it’s natural mineral balance. If a person notices that their teeth are becoming blue or too translucent it’s possible you are over-bleaching your teeth.
The long standing question of whether a person can get their teeth too white as a result of bleaching is not true. Teeth have a natural shade that can not be lighter than how they were created.
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