Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry

Category: Teeth Whitening

A Dentist Burned My Lips with Teeth Bleaching Gel

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I’ve put a lot of time into finding a dentist to get my teeth together finally. It wasn’t easy to trust her, but after four appointments, I let her start improving my smile. After getting my dental cleaning and some badly needed fillings, I agreed that my teeth should be whitened before I get crowns. Since in-office whitening is quick, I opted for that. The dentist walked me through everything she was doing, and because I was so nervous, I asked for nitrous oxide. She was supposed to do three whitening treatments, but after the 2nd one, my lips started burning. My dentist tried something she thought was neutralizing the sting, but it didn’t work. When I left the office, my lips were bright red and burning badly. My lips look fine now, but that was pretty traumatic. She apologized repeatedly, but my confidence in her was not so good.

My teeth are white, but that was a bad experience, especially for me, because this type of pain and careless mistakes made me stay away from dentists in the first place. My whitening sessions are incomplete, and I still need crowns on my teeth. This supposed gentle dentist messed me up, and I feel like I must start over because of my anxiety. The dental office keeps calling me to schedule another whitening session so I can get my crowns, but I have yet to return their calls. I’m trying to figure out if I should leave this dentist before she makes another mistake and I can’t make dental appointments anymore or if I should give her another chance. Thanks. Tasha

Tasha – If a dentist you have trusted makes a mistake that causes pain, it can make your comfort level drop quickly. Your concern is understandable. So, what should you do about it? Below are a few considerations.

Can Teeth Whitening Gel Burn Your Lips?

Lips retracted and teeth gums coated before teeth whitening

A dentist protects your lips and gums before teeth whitening

Teeth whitening can burn your lips if the bleaching gels lingers on them. Your lips may burn if bleaching gel gets on them, but this is rare. Before whitening your teeth, a dentist retracts your lips and protects them from the gel.

Talk to Your Dentist

Any dentist can make a mistake. It’s good that your dentist apologized for her mistake. Thinking that she apologized can help you talk to her and be open about how much pain you felt when your lips were burned with bleaching gel. It’s also good to help her understand the setback you’re having because of the bad experience. During the conversation, your dentist might give you reasons to consider giving her another chance.

Wait Before Switching Dentists

Give yourself a day or two to consider why you want to switch dentists. Write down the pros and cons of changing to a new dentist. Make an informed decision that will help you stay on the path to good oral health and a beautiful smile.

Schedule Consultations with Other Dentists

If you’re completely uncomfortable with your current dentist, you can find a new one. Maybe you have friends or family members who also suffer from dental anxiety. You can ask for a recommendation for a dentist who is gentle and understanding. You can also check online patient reviews.

But the dentist you choose also needs training in cosmetic dentistry to give you natural-looking crowns that match your brightened teeth. You can schedule consultations with one or two dentists to determine if you want to switch to a new dentist.

 

Dr. Jerome Cha, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.

How Can I Whiten My Teeth After My Braces Are Off?

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I should be finished with braces in October. How can I whiten my teeth after the braces are off? My teeth were yellow before the braces, but now they look spotty and yellow. Which whitening strips or toothpaste should I use? – Thanks. Aamir from MD

Aamir,

Thank you for your questions. Wearing braces can cause various kinds of teeth stains. Until a dentist identifies the source of the stains and recommends treatment, you should not whiten your teeth at home. Your efforts can make the stains more noticeable. Also, whitening strips and whitening toothpaste will have limited results.

How Can You Whiten Your Teeth After Braces?

Professional whitening from a dentist is the best way to whiten your teeth after braces because it minimizes the risks of choosing the wrong treatment. Most dentists offer in-office and take-home whitening. The advantages of professional whitening include:

  • Source of the stains – A dentist will examine your teeth to identify the causes of the stains. If your teeth are yellow and spotty, you may have experienced decalcification beneath your braces and yellowing over time. A cosmetic dentist may recommend more than one cosmetic treatment for your teeth.
  • Anticipate the results – Without professional training, you cannot predict the effects of bleaching gel on your teeth, but a dentist can. Bleaching can make some stains more noticeable.
  • Targeted whitening – If you are a candidate for teeth whitening, a dentist will take impressions of your teeth for custom bleaching trays. Either you will you the trays for take-home whitening or touch-ups after in-office whitening.
  • In-office whitening – You can get rapid results with an hour of dental whitening in the office. You can continue whitening at home if you want your teeth brighter.
  • Treatment options other than bleaching gel – As the next section explains, bleaching gel may not be enough to remove teeth stains after braces.

Cosmetic Dentistry for Teeth Stains After Braces

Improving teeth stains after braces may include more than one cosmetic treatment, such as the following:

  • Teeth whitening – Removes surface and embedded stains
  • Remineralization – Stops demineralization and loss of tooth enamel
  • Composite restoration – Tooth-colored resin repairs damage to your tooth enamel
  • Microabrasion – Improves appearance by sanding and polishing tooth enamel
Before-and-after teeth whitening photos

Professional teeth whitening will give you brilliant results
Photos courtesy of KöR Whitening

Schedule an appointment with an advanced cosmetic dentist to examine your teeth and explain your options.

Dr. Jerome Cha, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.

 

My dental bonding is peeling off

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Man hiding his mouth in his sweater portraying dental bonding that is peeling offIn November, my dentist whitened my teeth and later placed bonding on them to hide fluorosis stains. After three tries, the color still isn’t right, so I let it go. I figured that I would keep the bonding because my dentist said it would last five years. After that, I planned to find another dentist to replace it. But within the past week, the bonding started peeling off like old paint. This is so embarrassing.

I called my dentist, and he said that bonding on fluorosis sometimes doesn’t stick to your teeth. He never mentioned that the bonding might peel before he placed it. Now I am concerned that I have to live with these stains. If my dentist cannot get this right, what are my options? Thank you. Karson from Santa Barbara, CA

 

Karson,

We are sorry to hear about your experience with dental bonding from your dentist. Fortunately, you have options for concealing fluorosis stains, but you cannot rely on your dentist for them.

Types of Fluorosis Stains

Fluorosis stains occur from consuming too much fluoride as a child while your teeth are still developing. Tooth stains are white in mild to moderate cases and brown in severe cases. The stains are usually confined to the tooth enamel.

Concealing Fluorosis Stains

Concealing fluorosis stains in teeth is one of the most challenging aspects of cosmetic dentistry. Depending on the stains and condition of your teeth, an advanced cosmetic dentist may recommend dental bonding or porcelain veneers.

Dental bonding

  • Applying dental bonding to tooth enamel requires these steps:
  • Etch the tooth enamel
  • Rinse and dry the enamel
  • Apply a liquid bonding agent to the tooth and use a curing light to cure it
  • Place composite over the cured bonding

At least your dentist bleached your teeth before applying the bonding, even though the color did not stay on. Bleaching teeth first is essential to matching bonding to your natural teeth. Whitening is an effective way to refresh your smile.

Porcelain veneers

After removing a conservative amount of tooth enamel, a cosmetic dentist will complete these steps:

  • Take impressions of your teeth
  • Provide a wax-up of your veneers
  • Make temporary veneers for you to wear
  • After you approve the temporary veneers, send pictures and instructions to a dental ceramist to make the final product
  • Try the veneers on your teeth to ensure you are delighted with them

Schedule a Cosmetic Dentistry Consultation

If your dentist is unable to apply your bonding and make it last, we recommend scheduling a consultation with an advanced cosmetic dentist to discuss your options.

 

Dr. Jerome Cha, a Tulsa, Oklahoma dentist, sponsors this post

Will a root canal lighten my gray tooth?

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Man with glasses smiling for info on whitening a gray tooth - from Tulsa, OK dentist Dr. Jerome ChaAbout five years ago, I fell while running a marathon and hit my face. My left front tooth is turning dark, and my dentist referred me to an endodontist for a root canal. The tooth does not hurt. I’m wondering why my dentist did the referral instead of bleaching my teeth. Will my tooth get lighter after a root canal? Thank you. Milton from Ohio

Milton,

Thank you for contacting our office.

When a Tooth Turns Gray

If a tooth turns gray, the nerve inside is likely dead. Unless the tooth is dead or infected, you do not need root canal treatment.

Will Root Canal Treatment Lighten a Tooth?

Root canal treatment will not lighten a tooth. Unless a dentist cleans out root canal filling material and cement from the portion of a tooth above the gumline, the tooth will darken. Some endodontists use the GentleWave system for root canals. The system uses sodium hypochlorite to dissolve soft tissue inside a tooth. Although sodium hypochlorite can whiten a tooth somewhat, it does not stay inside the tooth long enough to bleach it.

Your dentist can internally bleach your tooth after verifying that root canal treatment was successful. Sealing bleaching gel inside the tooth can correct the color. If bleaching is successful, a cosmetic dentist can insert a flexible fiberglass post in the tooth and fill it with dental composite. Otherwise, a dentist can restore the shade with a porcelain veneer, which requires removing less tooth structure than a dental crown.

We recommend scheduling an appointment with an advanced cosmetic dentist to examine your gray tooth and discuss your options for whitening it.

Dr. Jerome Cha, a Tulsa, OK accredited cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.

Teeth Whitening with TMJ Disorder

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I have TMJ Disorder and wearing the teeth whitening trays aggravate the pain in my jaw. I recently saw an advertisement for the Tanda Pearl Whitening System that whitens your teeth in only five minutes a day. Will this actually work? Is it safe? I like the 5 minute idea because I feel like that will be less pressure on my jaw.

Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

Teeth Whitening Trays

I looked into this carefully because I didn’t want to do anything that could make your situation worse. I do want to make sure you are under the care of a dentist with TMJ experience. This is important because leaving TMJ untreated can lead to a lifetime of pain and migraines.

Now, about this Tanda Pearl System. Its whitening ingredient is the same principle dentists use with their teeth whitening gel to penetrate your teeth using trays. There are some differences though. Let’s start with the light they promote. I am a tad suspicious about this. They provide no information on the technology or how it works. I believe this is because it isn’t really anything that works and they do not want to risk professional scrutiny. Honestly, if it worked, they would make more money by making it professional strength and marketing it to dental offices. They don’t do that, which increases my suspicion.

Tanda Tray Versus Professional Bleaching Trays

The biggest difference is the tray they use. If you look at the image above, this should be the type of bleaching trays your dentist provided you with. They are custom-fitted to your particular bite. I am a little worried that your dentist skipped fitting them to your bite because you should not be experiencing pain. Let’s ignore that for now and talk about the tray that Tanda Pearl provides.

They give you a single tray that you have to bite down on while you whiten. There are a few problems with this.

  • It is a DIY tray, which means it will not fit snuggly to your teeth. This weakens the strength of the gel by both letting gel leak out and allowing saliva to get in and dilute the gel.
  • Because the gel can leak out, it could lead to problems with your gums.
  • The single tray means you can’t just put it on and go about your business. Instead, you will have to bite down on it in order to keep it in place. This will aggravate your jaw way more than what you are currently doing.

Here is my suggestion. There is nothing magic about this system. I actually don’t think it would work as efficiently as what you currently have. You did not mention how long you are currently wearing your trays, but said the 5 minute time appealed to you. Generally, it takes longer than that for the gel to really seep into your teeth, but if you need to wear it for a shorter time period, you can do that with what you currently have. It just means you’ll have to whiten over a longer period of time to get the same results. I would also speak to your dentist about your trays and see if he can fit them a little better for you. I don’t know any dentist who would want their patient to be in pain.

Another thing to consider would be to use Kor Whitening. This uses a special delivery system that intensifies the effectiveness of the whitening gel. This may allow you to do it in less time.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.
Click here to read about his beautiful smile guarantee.

Luster Premium Teeth Whitening

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I recently saw an advertisement for Luster Premium Teeth Whitening. It does have some good reviews, but I would like to get a professional opinion before using something over the counter. Have you ever examined this? If so, is it safe? I’ve never been happy with my smile and am looking for ways to improve it.

Emily

Dear Emily,

Teeth Whitening Trays

I am glad you wrote. I have looked into this. Lets talk about the light first. It does not have the strength to do anything. I think it is there just to make you think it is helping. The second issue is the whitening ingredient itself. This is not a true teeth whitening ingredient, such as you would find with a dentist or even some legitimate over the counter products. Instead, it uses a pigment found in one of their ingredients, Zinc Oxide. This will temporarily make the teeth look whiter without actually whitening them. My guess is this is why there are some positive reviews. They likely wrote the review before the pigment wore off.

I think this would be a waste of your money. If you are looking to improve your smile, this will not be the best way.

Improving Your Smile

If you are looking for a top of the line smile makeover, then porcelain veneers is the way to go. It is the go-to for Hollywood celebrities and can change anything you want, including the shape, size, and color. However, this is not cheap, so it will depend on your budget. One word of caution here. You don’t want to let any dentist do this. It requires an expert cosmetic dentist. Smile makeovers are not taught in dental school, so it requires a lot of post-doctoral training to develop the skill as well as artistry. If you go this route, I would look for an AACD accredited dentist to do this procedure.

If you need something less expensive and are just wanting to whiten them, it will improve your smile. In fact, it is the least expensive way to significantly to make your smile look better, while making you look years younger. Unlike the porcelain veneers procedure, pretty much any dentist can do it. It’s the most basic of cosmetic procedures.

There are two types of whitening procedures. The first is in-office whitening. Many offices who do this use Zoom Whitening. It allows you to whiten your teeth in just one appointment. Another method is at-home teeth whitening. It will use bleaching trays, such as the ones pictured above. This whitens your teeth over a period of weeks, but allows you to control the level of whitening.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Groupon for Teeth Whitening

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I received a Groupon for a teeth whitening kit called Premium Home Whitening. Is this okay to use? Will it work? Is it safe? I don’t know how to judge these types of products.

Margie

Dear Margie,

Teeth Whitening Trays

I’m glad you wrote. I looked at this kit. There are three aspects to this to consider. First, the whitening ingredient. They use carbamide peroxide, which is a good whitening agent. That part checks out. Second, the blue light. This light appears to be bogus. It seems to only be there as a psychological agent. This bothers me. Adding materials that don’t work to make your kit seem better is dishonest. Third, is the bleaching trays.

Above, I have an image of tooth bleaching trays. When you have your teeth whitened with a dentist, they will fashion custom-fitted trays for your whitening process. This has the advantage of insuring your teeth whitening will be as effective as possible. It does this by ensuring the gel does not leak out and your saliva does not seep in, thereby diluting the gel.

The trays you will get with this kit will not be form-fitted to your specific bite. That will mean you will not get the full effectiveness of the whitening gel. In addition, there is a safety issue. The gel leaking can irritate your gums. I know of one case where a person needed a root canal treatment as a result of an over-the-counter whitening kit.

Given the cost of this kit, my suggestion would be to talk to your dentist about professional teeth whitening. Let him know the cost you were offered from this kit and see if he’d be willing to come close to meething it. If he does, you can get more effective teeth whitening in a safer way.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha, an AACD accredited dentist.

Touching up Your Teeth Whitening Before Dental Work

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I need to get a dental crown and wanted to touch up the whitening on my teeth first. My dentist provided me with Opalescence PF 20%. What I need to know is how long I need to use it and for how often before I schedule the crown. Can you give me any guidelines?

Yvonne

Dear Yvonne,

Teeth Whitening Trays

One thing which I want to bring up immediately is my concern that your dentist isn’t guiding you on this himelf. Is he unaware of how this works? It is a possibility. If that is the case, it would mean taking a big step back and deciding whether or not you want this dentist to be the one to do your crown. This is especially true if, as I suspect, it is a visible tooth.

If your dentist is mainly engineering-minded, you may end up with a functioning crown, that fits well, but you will be disappointed in the look of it.

As for the teeth whitening, there are a variety of factors involved. How white do you want them? There isn’t really a whiteness cap. The bottom line is the longer you wear the whitening trays, the whiter they get. How much you wear them each day, depends completely up to you. As long as you aren’t experiencing sensitivity you can wear them for as many hours a day as you can tolerate. You really need a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes for the gel to adequately seep into your teeth.

If it’s possible for you to wear them overnight, you will get faster results. Our saliva production slows down at night. That enables the whitening gel to stay on your teeth even longer. During the day, you can wear it as much as you’d like as well, but your saliva will slowly seep into your teeth whitening trays and wash away the gel, requiring you to reapply the gel several times a day.

One definitive is the waiting period between the whitening and the crown development. I suggest waiting two weeks between the time you get the whitening to the color you want and the dentist making your crown.

Who Should Do Your Crown

As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t appear that our dentist has a lot of cosmetic skills. A dental crown, especially one on a front tooth requires a lot of technical knowledge as well as artistry. This is something I would want you to get an expert to work on. Because cosmetic dentistry isn’t an actual recognized specialty, it is up to the dentist how much they invest in the training.

I’d start by looking for a dentist who is AACD accredited. While they are the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country, there aren’t very many of them. If you can’t find one in a reasonable distance to you, there is another list you can check. The mynewsmile.com website also lists expert cosmetic dentists by area. They’re not all AACD accredited, but they do all have expertise and artistry. Any of them can give you a beautiful crown which blends in perfectly with the rest of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Matching Whitened Teeth to Dental Work

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I whiten my teeth regularly. My old dentist whitened them and would give me a whitening gel to touch them up every year. I’ve since moved and have a new dentist. I decided to get porcelain veneers. He did four of them, but they are noticeably darker than the rest of my teeth. He says it is the whitest shade. How is that possible? Can I do anything to fix this?

Lacey

Dear Lacey,

tooth shade guide

I think I know what happened here. The above is a tooth shade guide. This is the old standard one which dentists would use to match a dental crown to their patient’s natural tooth color. Then, as teeth whitening grew in popularity this became problematic. We could no longer find a shade white enough to match their teeth.

This is because teeth whitening doesn’t just remove stains which have built up over the years. It will also whiten the natural pigment of the teeth making your teeth whiter than “natural” shades. My guess is your teeth are whiter than what he has available on his shade guide. That also tells me your dentist hasn’t kept up with his field very much.

ivolclar shade guide for bleached teethIn the 90s, as teeth whitening grew in popularity, dental companies knew they had to expand the pallet. Here is an additional guide the Ivoclar company came out with for dentists to use when their patients had very white teeth. Your dentist should have based the color of your new porcelain veneers from something like this guide.

Getting Bad Porcelain Veneers Fixed

Show your dentist this post and ask him to re-do your porcelain veneers at his cost. They don’t match your natural teeth, so it is not the beautiful smile you paid to get.

This time, before you allow your dentist to bond them on permanently, tell him you will want to see them on first. He can use a temporary try-in paste. This will allow you to look at them carefully on your teeth. You get to approve them before they are bonded. If you’re not happy with how they look, it is a simple thing for your dentist to send them back to the lab and make changes. This has to be done before they’re bonded.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Do Professional Teeth Whitening Kits Expire?

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I received a teeth whitening kit from my new dentist when I moved to town. I didn’t really need my teeth whitened at the time as I’d had it done a couple of years ago in my old town. I popped it in my dresser and forgot about it. I was changing out clothes for the season and saw it there. Is it still good? I’ve taken up coffee again and now really do need some whitening done. Why do I drink that wretched stuff?! I don’t want to pay for a new kit if I don’t need one.

Joyce

Dear Joyce,

Teeth Whitening Trays

The custom fitted teeth whitening trays will be fine, especially since they’ve been in your dresser this whole time. The only thing that could really damage those would be heat. We’ve had patients leave them in their car and put them in the dryer. Unfortunately, this warps the trays and they won’t fit properly. Yours weren’t exposed to heat, so that won’t be an issue.

The gel could be a different story. It’s generally good for a year, possibly a little longer if your dentist kept it refrigerated. You could look on the tube to see if there’s an expiration date. It’s unlikely. There’s probably a batch number on it from the manufacturer. You could contact them. But, honestly, it would be easier just to open a tube and see what the gel looks like. If it’s cloudy or white, it’s lost its potency.

The teeth whitening will definitely clear up your coffee stains. Most coffee drinkers find they need a touch up every year. If you keep your trays, your dentist can provide you with a new tube of gel every year. Some dentists will do that free of charge for as long as you keep up with your regular cleanings. Even if they charge, the gel won’t be much money at all.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

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