A white and winning smile can be bought — but what should you know before investing in your (would be) pearly whites? …
1 Concentration is key
Across all methods of teeth whitening — whether it be an at-home teeth whitening kit or a procedure done by pros in-office teeth whitening — results are determined by concentration of bleach, and time. While most over-the-counter products — think white strips and mouth rinses — do work, they take longer and require consistency to see significant results. “Most people want the instant scratch ticket, where they get the whitest teeth right away,” … “However, higher concentrations may lead to post-op sensitivity.”
2 Remember the rebound
Your teeth might look blindingly white when you step out of your doctor’s office, but it’s an effect that wears off. This rebound period lasts about a week or so, when your teeth begin to reveal their lighter shade. “They look whiter because they’re dehydrated,” … “Everything levels off after about two weeks time. That’s when you have the shade you’ll ultimately be.”
3 Take a picture, it lasts longer
If you decide to do an at-home whitening kit, snap a photo of your smile in daylight before application and compare it to a similarly staged photo a week later. You’ll get a better idea of where you’ve moved on the shade scale and determine whether a second treatment is needed. “Sometimes people bleach at home and they don’t think anything changes because they can’t remember what they looked like prior,” … If you go to a pro, they’ll hand you a “shade tab,” so you can see the before and after contrast.
4 You can overdo it
If you’ve developed a regular ritual of whitening strips, toothpaste, and mouthwash, you want to be honest with a professional before going for a clinical whitening treatment. Over-bleaching can harm teeth. “Normally they can still go right into it,” he said, “but if you have been bleaching for a year or so, you’re probably not a good candidate.”
5 It’s OK to be sensitive
If you think you have sensitive teeth — and trust us, you’ll know — don’t fret. A consultation with a professional can present other smile-
improving options. “They can do composite fillings or they might be a good candidate for cosmetic porcelain veneers or a crown and bridge,” … “Or sometimes, it could just be a malalignment that needs to be fixed, where teeth look darker than they really are because they’re just seeing shadows.”…read more
