I recently had a patient who confessed that, at his wife’s urging, he bought a Social Media Promotion (such as Groupon or Living Social) for teeth whitening. He went to another office and had a whitening procedure and was disappointed at the results.
Today, you can get your teeth whitened while on a cruise, while waiting for your car to be repaired and at hair salons. It seems everyone wants white teeth and there are plenty of people ready to take their money.
I love white teeth and appreciate their value. Do you go to a discount or even unlicensed place to get it?
Good idea?
I think not.
Like so many other things, the 80/20 rule applies. 80% of the time there will be few or no issues at all (it just might not work). It’s the 20% that I’m worried about and there’s no way for a layperson to know if they’re going to be in the 80% or 20%. Why take a 1 in 5 chance that something’s going to go wrong?
While whitening seems innocuous, it is not and has to be done carefully and after a thorough evaluation. Plus, there’s an ideal time to do it, most often, a week or 2 after your dental cleaning. That’s right…not immediately afterwards as you might think.
Here is a list of potential issues that can arise from improperly done whitening.
- Burnt gum tissues. Your gums can actually be burned if the solutions are not properly controlled.
- Unevenly colored teeth. Teeth that have certain discolorations may whiten at different rates, resulting in a less than esthetic result. I’ve seen some spots even stand out and become more un-esthetic with improper whitening.
- Failure to whiten. Not all teeth whiten the same way and there are many different techniques that can be used. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution.
- Fillings or caps that now stand out. Fillings and caps do not respond to whitening. If the adjacent, natural teeth are whitened, they may stand out and the caps/crowns may then need to be replaced to achieve a cosmetic result. That’s $$$’s!
So, be safe and have your regular dentist evaluate your mouth and discuss the options for whitening or smile-enhancement. Don’t mess around with your smile; it’s too important an asset.
To your health and wellness,
Michael
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