Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry

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.

 

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.

How fast can I get my teeth whitened?

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I just got a call for a job interview. It’s my dream job and I never expected to even get the interview. How fast is it possible to get your teeth whitened. I want to make the best impression possible, by my interview is next week. Can that happen in a week?

Amanda I. – Chicago

Amanda,

Yes, it is possible. In fact, you can get your teeth brilliantly white in just one day. You’ll have to do in-office teeth whitening, with a system like KöR® Deep Bleaching™.  It will get your teeth completely white in one appointment. Although Zoom is more popular, it uses an acceleration light that dries out your teeth and makes them sensitive. Dr. Cha prefers KöR.

The trick may be finding a dentist that does KöR and has an opening in time. Fortunately, you live in Chicago where there are lots of dentists.

Good luck with your job interview!

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

Smile makeover

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I was thinking of getting a smile makeover, but don’t have tons of money.  I’m thinking I’ll just start small. After all, I’m already totally hot. If I add in a perfect smile, they’ll be nothing left to improve. ; )

Sienna M. – Florida

Sienna,

I’m glad you’ve decided to not outshine all us normal folks. I mean, the little people deserve a chance.

If I only had a little money to improve my smile, I’d start with teeth whitening. It is the fastest and least expensive way to look younger.   Though, from what I hear, looking young isn’t a problem for you.

Their are two types: one is in-office teeth whitening. It will completely whiten your teeth in one appointment. The other is at-home whitening. This is more gradual, but is also less expensive.

When you’re ready to be totally perfect, let me know and we can discuss porcelain veneers. They’ll completely makeover your smile.

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

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