tooth bleaching Archives - Ahwatukee Dentist

Do I Need to Grind off My Teeth Because of Brown Spots?

Posted on January 11, 2024 by writeradmin.

I have had brown spots on my teeth for ages because of a fever I had as a child. I really wanted to improve the appearance of my teeth. My dentist suggested some teeth whitening, but it hasn’t helped. Now she is suggesting we grind off the brown spots. Before I go forward with that do you have any idea who much of the tooth will have to be ground? My dentist was not sure and this idea makes me nervous.

Caitlin

Dear Caitlin,

Teeth Bleaching Trays

While I am sure your dentist has the best of intentions, you need to stop letting her work on this. She is doesn’t have a proper understanding of cosmetic dentistry. Teeth whitening is not a good solution for white spots. This is because your teeth are going to be whitened evenly which will make the brown spots stand out even more. This is a basic principle of teeth whitening.

There are two viable solutions for teeth with brown spots: Dental bonding and porcelain veneers. Bonding is less expensive but does not last as long and will need to be periodically replaced. My suggestion is that you see an expert cosmetic dentist. He or she can examine your particular situation and advice you.

Both of these are advanced procedures that require a significant amount of post-doctoral training. Based on what you’ve described of your treatment thus far, your dentist is not qualified. Don’t be tempted to just tell her to do one of the two procedures I mentioned. It’s very likely she’ll do it without that training in order to try to make you happy. This will end up being an aesthetic disaster for you. You don’t have to feel guilty about going somewhere else for cosmetic work. Plenty of patients have one dentist for general work that they have been loyal to for years but go to another for their more advanced cosmetic work.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwutakee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Did Crest Whitestrips Cause Her to Need a Root Canal Treatment

Posted on November 27, 2023 by writeradmin.

I was in an accident that caused a tooth to become recessed. An oral surgeon put it back into place, but it slowly turned dark and the gum is a bit recessed. I went to my dentist to ask about whitening the tooth. He suggested Crest Whitestrips. I used it for a little over a week before I started having some pain in the darkened tooth. I stopped using the strips, but that did not stop the pain. It’s been a week since I stopped the white strips. It does not hurt with pressure but is sensitive to hot and cold. My dentist thinks I need a root canal treatment. Was this caused by the whitening? If so, is that a risk my dentist should have warned me about?

Allie

Dear Allie,

teeth whitening tray being placed on teeth

Professional teeth whitening with custom trays

The sensitivity to cold indicates the tooth is irritated. The sensitivity to heat tells me the tooth may need some help. Your dentist’s suggestion to whitening the teeth, especially with Crest Whitestrips, was not a great one. Your dentist does not seem to have an understanding of how teeth whitening works. First, teeth whitening will bleach your teeth evenly. That means this tooth would still have been darker than the rest of them. Second, while Crest Whitestrips work, they are very weak. It would take them a long time to make any difference at all in the teeth.

A tooth infection leading to a root canal treatment is not really a risk with teeth whitening. There are some reports of an already compromised tooth being pushed over the cliff when teeth whitening took place. Your tooth was already compromised, but Crest Whitestrips are so mild that I would have a hard time thinking that would be the issue.

You did say there was some gum separation. It is more likely that some bacteria got in there which caused the issue. My recommendation is for you to get a second opinion. You can go to another dentist or a root canal specialist.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Crooked and Stained Teeth

Posted on September 26, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am new to this country and it seems like everyone has beautiful movie star teeth. My teeth are stained and a bit crooked. It is making me feel embarrassed. Is it too late for me to get American teeth?

Fatima

Dear Fatima,

Welome to the U.S.! To get to the heart of your question, it is never too late to get a beautiful smile. You have a couple of options, depending on your goals and budget.

The first is porcelain veneers. You would need to see an expert cosmetic dentist for these to end up with a pleasing result. These are tiny wafers of porcelain that are bonded to the front of your teeth. They don’t actually straighten your teeth but can make them look straight by giving you a complete smile makeover. They can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaenoulsy.

The big drawback to this method is that it is very expensive. You would also need to have some teeth whitening done beforehand because it is cost prohibitive for all but the wealthiest of people to have a veneer placed on every tooth. Most people will do eight to ten veneers on their upper arch and allow the teeth whitneing to blend the rest of the teeth to the veneers

A More Affordable Smile Makeover

Your second option is Invisalign. These are clear aligners that actually straighten your teeth. Because of how the aligners are designed, no one will even know you are wearing orthodontics. While on your teeth, they are invisible, even at a conversational distance. A hidden benefit to this method is that the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously, saving you the cost of having whitening trays made for you. This option is much less expensive than porcelain veneers.

I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Is Tetracycline Staining My Teeth?

Posted on July 19, 2022 by writeradmin.

I have been on a tetracycline protocol for about 2 years that my dermatologist prescribed for me. At my last check-up, my hygienist said that I have stains on the back of my teeth that are brown lines and it seems like they’re starting on the front now. Can the tetracycline stains be causing this? If so, is it possible to fix this?

Brittany

Dear Brittany,

In general, tetracyclines will only be an issue if you take the medicine while your dentin is forming. You’d need to be under thirteen years old for this to be an issue. That being said, there are some studies that say that one particular variation, minocycline, can cause some staining in adults. If that is the brand you are taking, I would suggest you deal with this sooner rather than later.

First, switch which variation you are using. Second, start bleaching your teeth with professional strength teeth whitening right away. If you start this early, you will be able to get your white teeth back. If you put it off, the only solution will be expensive porcelain veneers, which will need to be done by one of the top cosmetic dentists in the country because of how challenging these types of stains are. That will make it more expensive than normal.

If you are not using the minocycline, then you are just developing normal stains. The best toothpaste to use to remove external stains is SuperSmile Toothpaste. It does it without the harsh abrasives you get with most whitening toothpaste brands.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

An Affordable Smile Makeover

Posted on May 13, 2022 by writeradmin.

Every time I tell my dentist I want to improve my smile he tells me to get porcelain veneers. Those are way out of my budget. Is there not an affordable way to get a smile makeover? It does not have to be a perfect smile, just better than it is.

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

There are always options. I am sorry your dentist only gave you the most expensive. Probably the way to get the most bang for your buck on a smaller budget is to get teeth whitening done. That simple procedure can make you look years younger. Not only is it much less expensive than porcelain veneers, but it is a procedure you can price shop on.

If you were getting porcelain veneers, it would be dangerous to price shop because it takes a high level of both skill and artistry to do well. Whitening your teeth is the one cosmetic procedure that I could say anyone could do well.

You could even do a search for affordable dentists and look for one that does tooth bleaching without fear that it could do any damage to your smile. I hope this helps. You may be better served with a dentist who understands budgetary constraints.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Can I Whiten My Teeth with Peroxide at Home?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by writeradmin.

I know that the teeth whitening gel my dentist uses is made from peroxide. Is it possible for me to just use the peroxide I have at home and swish it around my mouth every day to help whiten my teeth?

Carol

Dear Carol,

I like your “do it yourself” attitude! There are two things that will get in the way of this being an effective option for you. First is the length of time you need for this to make a difference. Our dental enamel is fairly translucent. Most of our teeth stains come from deeper in the tooth at the dentin. In order to get the peroxide gel to reach that area, you will have to keep it in contact with your teeth for a minimum of 15 minutes. That would be a miserable amount of time to keep swishing in your mouth.

To get around this issue, dentists use teeth whitening trays (pictured above). This has the dual purpose of both keeping the gel in contact with your teeth in an easy way for you, as well as protecting your gums. When you use peroxide too much on the living tissue in your mouth, as you would have to do without these trays, you put yourself at risk of developing thrush, an oral yeast infection. Rinsing with peroxide every once in a while will not be a problem. Every day will.

The second issue you will face is the strength of the peroxide. The gel your dentist would use is about a 33% concentration. Crest Whitestrips, which have very mild results and take many weeks to see a difference, have a 6% concentration. You would be using a concentration that is half of even Crest Whitestrips.

The bottom line is it will be safer and more effective if you do your teeth whitening work through your dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Dentist Can’t Match My Crown

Posted on November 8, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have a dental crown on the tooth next to my very front one. My dentist said he is using the whitest shade, but that tooth is still darker than the rest of them. Do you know why he can’t match my tooth?

Lizzie

Dear Lizzie,

This sounds like a two-pronged issue. The first part sounds like you may have whitened your teeth at some point with another dentist. The second prong is your dentist not keeping up with the changes in his field.

Updated Shade Guide

Pictured above is the newer shade guide. Do you see those whiter shades on the left end? Those did not used to be there. They were added after teeth whitening became more popular in the 90s. It sounds to me like your dentist is still using the older shade guide that does not have those on there. He may be using the whitest shade on his old guide, but it is not white enough for your smile, which is more modern and brighter than your dentist is used to.

You have two choices here. You can ask him to get the updated shade guide so he can match your teeth better or you can go to another dentist to have your dental crown done properly.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Teeth Whitening Timing

Posted on May 31, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am about to get a dental crown on a front tooth and I want to so some teeth whitening ahead of time. I’ve been told the crown color will be permanent so I want to make it a better color. I asked my dentist some questions he couldn’t answer and I’m hoping you can so I can start moving forward with my needed (and wanted) procedures. Here are my questions:
1. How many days will I need to whiten?
2. How long each day?
3. Is there a time period to wait between whitening and crown or can I do it immediately?

Thanks,
Penny

Dear Penny,

I am a tad concerned that your dentist was not able to answer these questions. Doing teeth whitening is the absolute most basic cosmetic procedure. Any dentist should be able to do it and understand the principles behind it. If yours does not, and it doesn’t sound like they do, they are certainly not going to be able to provide you with a beautiful crown. This is especially true with when it comes to a crown on a front tooth. These are the most difficult to match perfectly because of their exposure to light when we smile which reveals all the subtle variations in the tooth.

How Teeth Whitening Works

The first thing you need to decide is do you want them to be as white as they can as quickly as possible or do you want more control over their level of whiteness? If you want them very white very fast, I would go somewhere that offers Zoom Whitening. This will allow you to whiten your teeth in just one appointment. If you want control over the color, then go with the at-home whitening. This will use the bleaching trays you see above.

Your dentist will custom fit these trays to your particular bite then provide you with the whitening gel to place in the trays while you wear the trays.

Now, here is where your first two questions come into play. While there is not a quantitative answer, there is a basic principle. The longer you wear them each day, the faster your teeth will whiten and the fewer days you will need to continue. I would wear them for as along as you can tolerate with twenty minutes being the bare minimum to adequately penetrate the tooth each day. Many patients who do tray whitening prefer to sleep in the trays.

Your third question is the easiest. I would give between one to two weeks from the time you stop whitening until your crown is designed. This is true no matter which type of teeth whitening you decide on.

I hope this helped.
Seriously consider finding a more advanced cosmetic dentist for your crown.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Premium Home Whitening Teeth Whitening Kit

Posted on March 20, 2021 by writeradmin.

I received an advertisement for a teeth whitening kit called Premium Home Whitening. They showed before and after pictures that seem to look good but I know photoshop is a thing. Do you know anything about this teeth whitening product? Is it effective? If so, it is safe? I’m a little leary of things such as this but it’s $50 less than my dentist charges and I’m trying to save money. However, $50 is not worth causing damage to my teeth.

Leanne

Dear Leanne,

I looked at the ingredients for this teeth whitening kit and it appears to have a valid teeth whitening ingredient that will whiten your teeth. That being said, I have three particular concerns about this:

First, the light they talk about. There is no validity to this. In fact, I think it is there just for psychological reasons. This bothers me. I don’t like thinking that patients are being manipulated. I’d rather they advertise solely based on the quality of their product.

That leads me to a second issue. While the whitening ingredient is high quality, the tray is not. Look at the image of the bleaching trays I have above. When your teeth are whitened with a dentist, they make custom-fitted trays to snuggly and comfortably fit your bite. The tray they provide will lead to problems. It will not fit well and that will lead to both leakage and it leading to saliva weakening the effectiveness of the gel.

The final issue is a safety one. When you are not under the supervision of a dentist you may not recognize potential complications. I’ve known of patients using over-the-counter whitening products who ended up needing a root canal treatment. This is an even greater risk when the gums are not protected by a secure teeth whitening tray.

If saving the $50 is the only reason for using this kit, my suggestion is simply to tell your dentist about the advertisement and ask him if he’d be willing to do your whitening for the same price.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.
Affordable Dental Care

Bleaching Your Teeth with Clorox

Posted on January 20, 2021 by writeradmin.

One question we get often, and we suspect other dentists get it as well, is when people ask if they can bleach their teeth at home with their Clorox bleach. There are various variations of proposed methodologies, from “painting” it on to swishing it in their mouth every morning. While we don’t recommend it, there is an interesting story about it.

A well-known cosmetic dentist, Dr. David Hall, reports on his blog at mynewsmile.com that he had a patient once who told him that she was swishing each day with Clorox to keep her teeth white. He said that she was an attractive young woman who did have beautiful white teeth. And, in spite of dire warnings that we hear from some quarters, she wasn’t dead or even ill.

Household bleach is a strong base, like lye. Yes, as the warnings go, it can burn living tissue if it is in contact from long enough. Plus, in contact with some other chemicals it can release chlorine gas, which can kill you. But if you swish briefly and spit and then rinse, it probably won’t harm you. But then, I’m really doubtful that it does actually whiten your teeth any, simply because bleaching your teeth requires contact with a bleaching agent for long enough that the peroxide (the normal teeth bleaching agent) can soak into your tooth.

So no, I wouldn’t swish it. It’s risky and won’t really bleach your teeth.

The safest way to whiten your teeth is through a dentist. If cost is the issue, there are affordable dentists who will be willing to work with you. Many of them have payment plans that will allow you to pay out your treatment in increments you can afford.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

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