Tooth Whitening
A brighter, whiter smile is something most of us want, especially when it comes to making the right first impression. For most of us, that gleaming smile is accomplished through tooth whitening.
Start With A Healthy Oral Hygiene Program
While good oral hygiene that includes regular brushing, flossing and visits for professional cleanings is important to keep teeth cleaner and whiter, it’s not usually enough for many of us. Daily assaults from red wine, tea, coffee and a number of other beverages and foods can leave our teeth stained and unattractive.
These kinds of stains aren’t always easy to remove by brushing alone, which leads people to choose tooth whitening. Those who are smokers will struggle even more to remove stains by brushing alone.
Risks of Tooth Whitening
Unfortunately, it’s not so simple to just get professional or at-home tooth whitening done and be problem-free. There are things that can go wrong and you need to do your research before choosing tooth whitening for a brighter smile. As tooth whitening continues to become more popular, the drive for new products can mean that we don’t find out about all the risks right away either.
Choosing the Best System
There are many kinds of tooth whitening procedures that can be used at the dentist or in the privacy of your own home. First and foremost, if you do choose professional whitening, make sure you go with a qualified dentist. Today, some of the people offering whitening are merely technicians and do not have the specialized training to understand dentistry or deal with some of the problems that can arise.
Gum and Tooth Sensitivity
One of the shared problems no matter what system you choose – at-home or in-office – is that gums can become extremely sensitive from the chemicals that are used in tooth whitening products. If you tend to naturally have sensitive teeth already, you should be particularly cautious about the products you use to whiten your teeth. For this reason, a professional whitening procedure performed under a qualified dentist may be the best choice for you.
Those who have healthy teeth and don’t tend to experience tooth sensitivity to hot and cold drinks may fare well with an at-home kit. These are typically much cheaper than dentist whitening procedures, so they are often favored for this reason. You can also use a toothpaste that is specially formulated for sensitive teeth; it can be helpful while you undergo whitening and if you don’t already have sensitive teeth, it can help to prevent future issues from the whitening kit.
Some of the whitening kits used at home can also harm tooth enamel, so it is important to use one that is approved by your dentist and ideally carries a seal of approval from your national dental organization.
Burns to Gums
While uncommon, there is the potential for gum damage from both at-home or in-office whitening procedures. The newer laser whitening has also resulted in reports of gum problems. This, however, can be minimized by choosing a dentist who has significant experience in the field of cosmetic dentistry.
Whitening Restorative Substances
If you have fillings, you should know that tooth whitening typically won’t whiten these substances. Talk to your dentist about your best options for whitening if you have porcelain or other materials used for fillings or any other kind of restorative work in your mouth.
Making the Right Choice
Approach tooth whiteners with care and caution along with advice from a qualified dentist. This way, you can find the right one for you while minimizing risks and getting the beautiful white teeth that give the first impression you want.
For further information about this topic, or any other dental topic, contact Dr Slootsky at info@drslootsky.com, or call 954-972-1000
Porcelain crowns have a wide variety of uses
Some of these uses are – teeth lightening, gap narrowing, fix teeth that stick out, reduce crowding in the mouth. Their versatility means that they are used as a fix for a lot of potential problems that patients may be having.
Apart from fixing tooth problems, they can also be used to improve the outward appearance of the teeth. For those that are insecure about the appearance of their teeth or their smile, porcelain crowns can be a one-fix-for-all-problems solution.
To fit the crowns, a thin layer is shaved off teeth that are to receive treatment, and this prepares them for the crowns. On the patient’s first visit of the treatment a mould is taken of their teeth in order to get the perfect shape for the next session. The crowns are then bonded onto the teeth using a bonding material of some sort. Once the bonding has taken place, which will normally take one session at the dentist, the patient’s can eat as normal.
Crowns are very popular because they have an excellent history of fixing dental issues, and their track record is proven to work in all countries in the world. Up until quite recently, crowns were bonded to the tooth using a metal-based framework so that the crown could withstand the pressures involved with daily chewing of food in the mouth. Today, most of the time the metal framework is not required, since modern technology has advanced up to the point where pure porcelain is strong enough even for use on hard working molar teeth. The metal framework had an issue – after a few years the gum line of a patient would recede with age, revealing an ugly grey line at the top of the crowned tooth. Due to the color of the metal showing through, it was difficult to make crowned teeth look natural for more than a few years.
The advantage of using pure porcelain is that the crowns are near identical in color to the existing colors of the patient’s teeth, making it nigh on impossible for others to discern a crowned tooth from a real one. A dentist will match the color of the crown to the tooth color already in the mouth, and then they will place an order with a lab to create the tooth with the perfect color and shape, taken from the previously mentioned mold, and patients are very happy with the results, and their new smile.
For further information about this topic, or any other dental topic, contact Dr Slootsky at info@drslootsky.com, or call 954-972-1000
Natural Looking restoration
When a tooth has a cavity or you need to replace a worn filling, a natural-looking white restoration can be a beautiful choice.
Advantages
White fillings have several advantages over silver filings.
- They are bonded to your tooth, making it stronger than if we used a silver filling
- We do not have to remove as much tooth structure as with silver filling
- The bonding agent can insulate your tooth from extremes of hot and cold
- Some white restorations can be done in just one visit
Procedure
After we remove the decay, we build layers of the resin directly onto your tooth. We use a special light to bond the resin to the tooth for strength.
A larger cavity may need an indirect restoration. We remove the decay or the old, worn restoration. The new restoration will be created in the lab to precisely fit your tooth.
Once crafted, we bond the restoration to your tooth for strength. It takes two or more visits to get this kind of restoration.
White fillings can be a great choice to give your healthy teeth and a beautiful, natural-looking smile.
For further information about this topic, or any other dental topic, contact Dr Slootsky at info@drslootsky.com, or call 954-972-1000
