Should You Whiten Your Teeth?

Sometimes brushing and flossing alone aren’t enough to provide you with a sparkling smile. If you are considering whitening your teeth, there are a few things you should know.

Surface and Deep-Seated Stains

Drinking coffee and red wine can lead to discolored teeth, as can eating highly pigmented foods such as blueberries and carrots. Cigarette smoking will also cause teeth to take on a yellow tinge. These types of stains, though, are considered surface stains and typically respond well to teeth whitening.

On the other hand, tooth discoloration caused by certain medications such as tetracycline, or discoloration due to tooth decay, may not respond as well. You also want to be sure you don’t have any allergies to whitening agents, and take levels of tooth sensitivity into consideration when choosing a whitening method. Whitening will not change the color of existing crowns, veneers and bonding.

Professional or Over-the-Counter Treatment

While over-the-counter treatments do provide some whitening effects, you generally will not receive the same dramatic improvement that is seen with professional in-office or at-home supervised treatments from a dentist. At-home treatments are best for age-related staining and minor stains related to diet. Typically, a two-shade improvement can be expected from over-the-counter whitening kits, compared to as much as six shades from professional kits. Professional kits provide long-lasting results, whereas the lightening effects of home kits typically last for only about six months.

If you are considering whitening your teeth, start by speaking to your dentist. He or she can let you know whether your teeth could be whitened effectively.