Teeth Whitening
Take-Home Teeth Whitening Options in Fort McMurray
Teeth whitening has become the most requested cosmetic service offered by general dentists today. While years ago we were happy just to keep our natural teeth for as long as possible before resorting to dentures, access and advances in modern dentistry has improved substantially. Today, we can not only maintain our natural teeth, but we can make them straighter, shapelier, and whiter. Fort McMurray Dental offers a Take-Home Teeth Whitening Solutions to help you achieve the bright smile you've always wanted!
Take Home TEETH Whitening Kits
Regular whitening strips can move around and aren’t able to bend and curve around the anatomy of your teeth. Here at the Uptown Fort McMurray Dental, we offer custom take home whitening kits. We will take impressions of your teeth and make you custom fitted trays. Your trays will help to hold the whitening gel in place and make sure all the areas of your teeth are whitened. We recommend whitening your teeth for 3 minutes a day for approximately 2 weeks to achieve your optimal shade.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Whitening Experience
It should be noted that, while whitening systems are effective, surface staining as well as plaque and tartar can contribute to the appearance of ‘yellowing’ teeth. It is important to maintain a regular dental cleaning regimen, both at home and with your dentist to remove harmful tartar and surface staining from the enamel. Tooth discolouration is more common in men and age contributes to a natural change in colour.
Smoking and drinking highly pigmented beverages like dark sodas, red wine or coffee contribute significantly to tooth discolouration. It can be helpful to kick these habits for your overall health and your teeth before investing in whitening treatments.
History of Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening, or bleaching, was a possibility discovered in the 1980s. Dentists routinely used peroxide to treat periodontal disease, and as they did so they began to notice that the soft tissues improved in their condition and the teeth near them got several shades whiter.
How it Works
Bleaching solutions are peroxide based, whether they are in strip form or tray form. Peroxide is used because it easily passes through the channel-like pores in the tooth’s enamel and works its magic directly on the dentin. Enamel is the protective coating that keeps our teeth protected and strong, and it encapsulates the inner dentin. Dentin forms the bulk of a tooth and tends to be more yellow in colour than enamel, which is somewhat transparent.
Over-The-Counter Whitening Solutions
These days, whitening products, it seems, are everywhere. As a consumer, it can be difficult to determine what the advantage of over-the-counter solutions and drawbacks are. In general, the primary advantage to drugstore systems is convenience – these don’t require a visit to the clinic. The drawbacks, however, are the potential for soft tissue chemical burn from strips placed over soft tissue without a professional barrier, tooth sensitivity and limited results.
Clinical whitening systems offer a stronger bleaching agent, making better use of your financial investment. These clinical systems offer more precise treatment, or gum barriers to avoid chemical burn. Sensitivity after whitening is the result of a slight dehydration of the dentin when bleaching. This causes pressure on the nerve of the tooth and can cause discomfort. Your dentist offers a rehydrating solution to decrease symptoms of sensitivity.
Trying to Whiten a Dark Tooth?
If you have a tooth that previously underwent a root canal and is darkening into a gray shade, do not invest in a whitening solution until you speak with your dentist. This condition is often an indication that the tooth is discolouring from its inner chamber, and it must be internally bleached in order to correct. This requires treatment from your dentist and will involve opening the tooth with a small hole and injecting bleaching solution into the tooth. This is left to act upon the tooth for several days until it is cleansed and sealed.
All dental services performed by a general dentist.
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