If you want a bright smile, quickly whitening your teeth can sound like the obvious move. Why delay or put off the shiny grin of your dreams? However, the truth is that you should treat your cavities before any teeth whitening starts. The brightening process has adverse effects on those who deal with tooth decay. As for why that’s the case, let your Denton cosmetic dentist explain the matter in this helpful summary.
Some Context: How Teeth Whitening Works
For starters, you should note how teeth whitening works. You won’t grasp why it doesn’t sit well with tooth decay otherwise.
Today’s teeth whitening uses a special gel to remove a patient’s tooth stains. Thanks to its hydrogen peroxide, this jelly-like material can seep into and bleach your enamel. The result is usually a smile that looks six, eight, or even ten shades brighter!
That said, teeth whitening can take one of two forms. The first is an in-office treatment that only takes about an hour or so. Meanwhile, the second is a take-home kit you’d use for roughly two weeks.
Whitening Harms Decayed Teeth
While teeth whitening is usually safe, things change when you have cavities. The treatment tends to be rather harmful to decayed and damaged teeth.
You see, the hydrogen peroxide in whiteners is a powerful chemical. It can irritate even the healthiest of teeth in some cases, causing mild cases of sensitivity. That means exposing a whitener to cavities would likely cause severe pain in your mouth. If you’re really unlucky, the cavity-bleach combination could even permanently damage and ruin your smile.
Assuming you want to avoid such damage, you should treat your cavities before brightening your smile.
How Can a Dentist Help?
Of course, dentists can treat cavities just as well as smile stains. They’ll gladly rid you of tooth decay before helping your teeth shine.
Most dentists now have two great ways to fix cavities: tooth-colored fillings and dental crowns. The former “fills” the holes in your teeth with composite resin, strengthening them as a result. Meanwhile, the latter treatment covers unfillable cavities with strong ceramic caps. These “crowns” protect decayed teeth from harm and hide their unsightly bits.
As much as you want a whiter smile, always treat cavities before teeth whitening. Your mouth will appreciate that choice!
About the Practice
Southridge Dental Family & Cosmetic Dentistry is based in Denton, TX. Led by the amazing Dr. Dunson, our practice thrills at the chance to give folks their dream smiles. That’s the reason we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments tailored to your mouth and its needs! By doing so, our team can make sure your family has stellar teeth and gums. For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (940)-566-4942.