Are you ashamed of smiling before everyone because you have yellow and stained teeth? Teeth discoloration affects many people sending them on a wild goose chase searching for teeth whitening treatments, the most popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry. However, you may think whitening your teeth is not a challenge, with many products available over the counter to achieve your goal from the comfort of your home.
Are you aware DIY teeth whitening products, despite available at low prices, come at a cost that outweighs the assumed benefits? If not, we recommend you visit teeth whitening Pompano Beach to have your teeth professionally whitened by a qualified dentist. You may think DIY methods like whitening strips are more convenient and affordable than visiting a dental professional to get your teeth whitened. However, we will likely surprise you with information on how over-the-counter teeth whitening products can result in long-lasting damages to your smile.
The Drawbacks of DIY Products
Instead of visiting teeth whitening near you, if you prefer DIY products for their affordable costs, you probably invest in teeth whitening strips coming with flexible plastic strips to attach the front surfaces of your teeth. The strips rely on low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to remove discoloration and external stains from your teeth in a few minutes, hours, days, or weeks depending on the brand you have purchased.
You may think, how can you damage your teeth by using harmless teeth whitening strips. It confirms you have no knowledge about your tooth anatomy and must learn about it before purchasing any product. Your teeth have a hard outer layer called enamel most vulnerable to discoloration from pigmented foods and beverages, tobacco use, et cetera.
Whitening strips are expected to bleach the tooth enamel and remove any discoloration on them. Unfortunately, the hydrogen peroxide from the whitening strips can also break down vital components of the dentin beneath the enamel. Dentin is porous and nondurable but is packed with protein and collagen.
Teeth-whitening strips are produced as one size fits all and not customized for your smile. Although most brands do not contain more than seven percent hydrogen peroxide, the odd variety may have more potent hydrogen peroxide. When misused, they can cause your dentin layer to chip and leave your smile exposed to external elements. In addition, you begin experiencing sensitivity, and your teeth become vulnerable to decay and infection. Finally, the breakdown of dentin and collagen ensures you don’t get the whitening results you were hoping for.
The Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening
If you want to avoid the drawbacks of over-the-counter DIY products, you must visit the family dentist Pompano Beach for professional teeth whitening. Dentists at this facility examine your teeth to determine whether the discoloration affecting you is extrinsic or intrinsic. You also receive comprehensive teeth cleaning before the whitening procedure. The dentist ensures you are not affected by any tooth decay or gum disease before confirming your suitability for the treatment.
If everything is acceptable, the dentist in Pompano Beach prepares you for the teeth whitening procedure by inserting cheek retractors in your mouth to ensure the whitening ingredients don’t leak on your gums and other soft tissues to cause sensitivity. Dentists also use hydrogen peroxide for whitening teeth but in concentrated doses. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide of 38 percent to 43 percent is applied to your teeth and activated with light or lasers to accelerate the whitening process. The sequence is repeated four times during the hour to provide optimal results. At the end of the treatment, you notice changes to the color of your teeth by approximately three to eight shades out of 16.
Our dental team supervises the entire treatment and even suggests you maintain the teeth whitening results you obtained during the treatment with at-home teeth whitening trays. Customized trays are created for you by the dentist and provided with whitening gel for use at home. The at-home whitening trays allow you to maintain the results of teeth whitening treatments from the dentist longer than over-the-counter products.
As you prepare to leave the dentist’s office, you receive professional advice to refrain from consuming pigmented foods and beverages, avoid smoking, maintain appropriate oral hygiene, and schedule six-monthly dental visits for cleanings. Teeth whitening treatments from professional dentists last for six months to three years, even though they cost around $ 650 for the procedure. However, professional treatments don’t leave you with any sensitivity or tooth damage, unlike DIY products that frequently cause more harm than any good. It is why you must prefer professional teeth whitening over other affordable methods.