4801 Southern Hills Dr, Sioux City, IA 51106, USA

Teeth whitening and its Maintenance

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Broadly speaking there are two basic ways to go when you have chosen teeth whitening as your ultimate goal. You may go for in-office bleaching or try the at-home teeth whitening methods. However, an in-office treatment always scores over the latter one. The obvious reasons are:

  1. Office treatments yield same-day results.
  2. Better outcomes are obtained as compared to the used-at-home whitening kits.

The at-home treatments:

  1. Mouth Trays: Trays are plastic made appliances to fit on your teeth. They are filled with a gel which serves the whitening purpose for your teeth.
  2. Whitening Strips: They are comparatively less expensive than the gels available.

 

The in-office bleaching:  

 In-office teeth whitening comes with a professional approach, with some systematic steps that are followed:

  • Your dentist records the current shade of your teeth
  • A little abrasion is done with a pumice or some grainy material, used to remove plaque from the surface
  • Your cheeks, lips, tongue is kept well apart from coming into any contact with the gel (by using retractors)
  • The teeth are kept dry with a gauge to apply the whitening liquid
  • The gum line is also protected, using a barrier.
  • The solution that is applied on the front surface of the teeth essentially contains hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching agent
  • Laser light is run over the chemical such that it activates and hardens on to the tooth’s surface
  • At the end of the process, the teeth are rinsed, preferably with a fluoride solution (it helps reduce tooth sensitivity).

 

 How to hold on to the whiteness post the procedure

 

Now that you are done with your whitening procedure, the million dollar question stands out to be…how to keep up this whiteness for as long as possible?

  1. A.BE EXTRA CAREFUL DURING THE FIRST TWO DAYS
    After the whitening procedure, the first 24 to 48 hours is the most crucial period. Staining foods, acidic foods, hot beverages should be avoided to let the whitening settle in perfectly.
  2. B.WASH YOUR MOUTH AFTER EACH MEAL
    Instead of using only plain water, use a good mouthwash to rinse your mouth after heavy meals.
  3. USE A WHITENING TOOTHPASTE
    Using whitening toothpaste before whitening session helps to hold the chine for a longer period of time!
  4. AVOID STAINING FOODS
    Tea, coffee, cola drinks, candies, beet, tomato sauce and such other foods (the ones which stubbornly stains your white dress too) should be preferably avoided, not only during the initial days but also in future.
  5. E.GIVE UP SMOKING IF POSSIBLE:
    Tobacco stains your teeth recklessly and rapidly too. Cigarettes and other tobacco items should be strictly avoided to maintain glistening teeth.

 Tobacco stains your teeth recklessly and rapidly too. Cigarettes and other tobacco items should be strictly avoided to maintain glistening teeth.

 

Prevention is better than cure

Heading to know all about whitened teeth? The very first thing you should hit upon is getting into your knowledge the primary causes of teeth discoloration. Yellowish or stained teeth are a result of:

  • Excessive smoking and use of other tobacco products
  • Consumption of foods containing tannin
  • Using other staining foods
  • Excess use of antibiotics

Another complicated cause behind tooth discoloration is, any internal issue. The tooth enamel and dentin might be damaged, when exposed to high levels of fluoride, antibiotics, tooth decay or trauma. However, staying from the external causes might keep the loss of your tooth’s whiteness at bay for a while!

A face to face meeting with your cosmetic dentist in Sioux City would not only deliver you with the best results but also the best possible advice on retaining the whiteness and the shine of your newly whitened teeth! Call us @(712) 276-8432 to know more about teeth whitening

 

 

 

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