Almost everyone cares about their smile. A bright, white confident smile breeds confidence and self assurance. There are many reasons that peoples teeth begin to darken, stain or dull. In today’s marketplace there are numerous products and procedures to whiten teeth. Teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to add brilliance and sparkle to stained and dull teeth, it is important to realize that not everyone is a candidate for teeth whitening. Whitening performed by a dentist or dental professional like Dr. Leia Porcaro is done to candidates where whitening will be successful. If you want to try whitening at home there are a few things to consider.
Matthew Messina, a D.D.S and consumer adviser for the American Dental Association stated that “At-home whitening is an option for anyone with a healthy mouth who has been to the dentist in the past year.” There are however three groups of people who shouldn’t do their own whitening. If you have teeth that are painfully sensitive to cold at home whitening is not a good idea. If you have dental crowns or fillings (silver or composite) on your front teeth, whitening will not change the color of the filling, causing contrast with the other teeth if you whiten. If you have tooth enamel that seems more gray than yellow usually caused from intrinsic stains from antibiotics (ex. Tetracycline) your teeth will not whiten well.
Here is a good at home test to see if your teeth could use whitening. Try holding a piece of white copy paper next to your teeth. If compared to the paper your teeth look yellow, the stains are probably surface stains. Whitening your teeth should turn your smile a couple of shades lighter with at-home bleaching. If your teeth look grayish compared to the white paper, the discoloration may lie inside the teeth, and bleaching won’t make much of a change.
