People across the United States go to great lengths to achieve a whiter smile each year. Many people choose to have their teeth professionally whitened at the dentist’s office, while many others choose to whiten their teeth at home. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. With professional whitening treatments, you are guaranteed to lift shades off your teeth in typically an hour’s time; of course, the cost for this treatment is much higher than you would pay for an over the counter product. With at-home whitening products, you can save money and whiten your teeth at your own convenience; of course, you cannot achieve professional results and it will take longer to lift shades and reveal whiter teeth.
For those who do choose to whiten their teeth at home, it is important that you take precautions to avoid ruining your smile. Avoid these common mistakes:
- Forgoing your dentist’s advice. Many people think that their dentist will try to talk them out of at-home whitening products, so they forgo talking with their dentist about whitening their teeth at home. This is a huge mistake. Any good dentist will want to help you protect your teeth. Your dentist will know firsthand whether your teeth are healthy enough for whitening procedures of any kind. Not seeking your dentist’s advice can cost you severely in the end.
- Misuse of whitening products. Any type of over the counter teeth whitening product that you purchase should come with extensive instructions. If it does not, return it! The instructions are your way to protect your teeth. The most common mistake made by at-home users of teeth whitening products is that they misuse them. Many people mistakenly believe that keeping a whitening product on the teeth will whiten them faster and better. This is not true. Misuse of whitening products can leave you with unwanted and damaging results with uneven whitening, white spots on the teeth and gums, a grayish color to the teeth, and extreme tooth sensitivity.
- Using a “one size fits all” method. There is nothing that is “one size” for everyone. Using trays that are not custom-designed to fit your mouth will not allow you to achieve continuity in your results. You will be left with uneven results that will be difficult to work out.
Contact Thousand Oaks Dentistry today to learn more about successful teeth whitening procedures and products. Don’t ruin your teeth!
