Is Whitening Toothpaste Right For Me?

Everyone dreams of having a whiter and brighter smile and with today’s advances in dentistry and tooth whitening procedures, it can become a reality.  We offer two different tooth bleaching options in our office to get you started but many of you will also opt to use whitening toothpaste at home.

Read the Labels

Whitening toothpastes use either chemicals or abrasives to do the job.  If you have sensitive teeth, lots of porcelain dental work, or root exposure, you might want to stay away from really gritty products.  A gel and soft toothbrush can effectively clean your teeth and dental work in a safe manner without doing damage.  Plaque free teeth don’t stain as quickly so great home care is always the best way to ward off stains.  If a product uses hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient, keep in mind that some of us may have a slight reaction to this chemical.  If you find that tissue sloughing, dry mouth, or sore spots develop after using a peroxide toothpaste, you will want to discontinue its use.

Go Easy

When consumers read the words “Whitening,” they tend to use a product quite often and sometimes much too aggressively.  The results of over-brushing with an abrasive toothpaste can vary from tissue damage to tiny scratches on the enamel that pick up stain more quickly.  Believe it or not, you can overdo it when it comes to cleaning your teeth.  Brushing gently but thoroughly twice a day and finding a great interdental tool should be just enough to keep your teeth clean and stain free.

What to Expect

One key point to remember is that whitening toothpastes deal with stains that build up on the outside of your teeth.  In order to get a really dramatic shade improvement, a professional whitening treatment will oxidize those deeply embedded stains from the inside of the teeth.  Whitening toothpastes merely help maintain those pearly whites by preventing new surface stains.  Over the counter products are tested to be safe and effective for the general public but tailoring pastes to suit your needs is a much better game plan.  Also, make sure to check out our blog post on the most common reasons your teeth are staining.

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