Touching Up Your Teeth Whitening
Posted by writeradmin
I want to touch up my teeth whitening before I get a dental crown on a front tooth but I’m trying to figure out how to approach it. I asked my dentist, but he couldn’t tell me. I’m hoping you can answer some questions. If I’m retouching, how many weeks do I need to get them back to where they were? How many hours each day? I’d be grateful for any advice you can pass on to me. I want to do this right?
Laura
Dear Laura,
I’m glad you wrote. While there is not a definitive answer for your question, I can give you some guidelines. Teeth whitening is subjective. However, the basic principle is that the longer you wear the teeth whitening gel, the faster they will whiten. I’m not sure how white your teeth were before. Every person has a different shade of white that pleases them.
If you want them really white, then I suggest you try to wear the teeth whitening trays overnight. If that is too much for you because of tooth sensitivity, you can definitely do it less, it will just take longer to get them as white as you want.
There is one thing you didn’t ask that will be important. From the time you stop whitening until the time you get your dental crown, I want to suggest that you leave about two weeks. This is because your teeth will continue to whiten for up to that amount of time. This will ensure that the dentist is able to properly match your new crown to your restored, white smile.
One thing that does have me concerned is that your dentist could not answer your questions about the teeth whitening. If you were just talking about a crown on a back tooth then I would say it was not a big deal. However, you are getting a crown on a front tooth. These are very exposed when you smile. It takes some expert cosmetic dentistry to get it right. Teeth whitening is basic cosmetic dentistry. If he can’t answer questions about that, I have my doubts he can match a dental crown to a front tooth.
If you have him do it, just make sure he is willing to place the tooth with a temporary try-in paste and you can make certain it matches perfectly. If it doesn’t, he should be willing to send it back and try again. You also want to make sure that they give you a porcelain crown.
This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.