Teeth that are discolored may be quite healthy, but and they can still cause a person to feel less attractive. Thankfully, teeth whitening can be used to improve the appearance of your teeth. There are multiple teeth-whitening applications that are available to brighten the teeth. Yet you may have questions about whitening processes and their safety. Here are a few questions and answers about teeth whitening:

Will teeth whitening ruin your teeth?

Teeth whitening can cause dental issues if it is not performed properly. The overuse of over-the-counter products has been associated with an increase in dental sensitivity and even in a decline in tooth enamel.

Some at-home bleaching kits use acidic substances to help whiten the teeth, and the repeated use of acids can etch the teeth over time. As a result, it is often best to only use over-the-counter whitening kits that are recommended by your dentist. Still, the best whitening option is to have the procedure performed by a dental professional at his or her office.

Rather than jeopardizing the health of your teeth by using acid-based bleaching agents, a dentist applies a safe peroxide-based gel and intensifies the effectiveness of the application by applying a UV light. As a result, dental discoloration from dietary pigments and colorants are broken down and removed.

Will you need more than one in-office whitening session to improve the color of your teeth?

Many dental patients who have their teeth whitened in a dental office notice that their tooth color is improved by several shades during the first application. However, many patients desire to lighten their teeth to the lightest shade possible. To do this, or if the teeth have incurred severe discoloration, it is likely that several teeth-whitening sessions may be needed.

The need for subsequent whitening sessions is also dependent on your habits. People who regularly drink coffee or smoke will reintroduce stains to the teeth more quickly than people who avoid stain-causing substances.

Can you have your teeth whitened if you have extensive dental work?

You can still have your teeth whitened if you have dental work, but the whitening solution will brighten your natural tooth material without changing the color of your dental work. This could be a problem for people who had tooth-colored dental work installed when their teeth were darker, because the dental work was probably matched to the shade that their teeth displayed at the time the work was performed.

For people with dental work in the front of their mouth, dental veneers may be used to whiten their teeth. The veneers can conceal discoloration and present the tooth shade that the patient desires.

To learn more about teeth whitening, schedule a consultation with an cosmetic dentist in your area, such as those at Advanced Family Dental Care LLC.