Everyone wants a beautifully white smile, but many people resort to unsound methods to achieve a shinier grin. While there are many ways to make your smile whiter, many of them can cause serious damage such as eroding your enamel and making your teeth more vulnerable to decay and injury. Here’s a review of the flaws of the over-the-counter and DIY teeth whitening methods as well as why professional whitening treatments from your dentist are the best way to achieve a brilliant smile.
Over-the-Counter Products Leave a Lot to Be Desired
If you’re browsing in the dental hygiene section at your local grocery store or pharmacy, you may notice over-the-counter whitening kits that include a tube of whitening gel and one-size-fits-all dental trays. While you may be able to get some whitening effects from these products, many users report that the results are negligible or unnoticeable even after months of use. To make matters worse, some people find that the included trays do not fit, resulting in uneven whitening of the teeth or soft tissue injuries due to the gums being exposed to the bleaching agents.
DIY Cosmetic Dentistry Is Usually a Terrible Idea
In the Middle Ages, a person wanting a whiter smile would visit the local barber, who would rough up their teeth with a file before applying a few coats of acid to burn away the stained enamel. While this would effectively whiten the smile by revealing fresh, white enamel underneath, it did so by destroying healthy dental tissue and leaving the teeth more susceptible to infection and injury. DIY teeth whitening methods that you might find on social media today operate in the same way by using agents like lemon juice or charcoal to remove stained but otherwise healthy enamel.
Achieve Superior Results with Professional Teeth Whitening
If you’re looking for the safest and most effective way to brighten your grin, your dentist can set you up with a professional teeth whitening treatment that can deliver remarkable results in a brief amount of time. If you’d like to whiten your teeth quickly, your dentist can perform an in-office procedure that takes about an hour, but you can also do the job over two weeks with a professional-grade customized take-home whitening kit. In either case, your smile will be brightened by up to eight shades.
Your smile is one of your most important social and professional assets, so it’s important to leave cosmetic dental treatments to qualified dentists. Scheduling a consultation at your dentist’s office can help you determine if professional teeth whitening is a great option for you.
About the Practice
D&G Dental of West Orange delivers the most excellent oral health services in town. With Drs. Med Dawoud, Paula Gencarelli, Fariba Edalat, and Vanessa Bellentine, the staff ensures that each patient receives compassionate care and old-fashioned customer service in a warm and welcoming environment. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, emergency, and cosmetic dentistry such as teeth whitening. To schedule your teeth whitening consultation, contact the office online or dial (973) 731-2200.