If you enjoy your morning cup of dark roast coffee and like a nice glass of red wine occasionally with your favorite pasta dish, you know what these harmless practices can do to your white smile. In addition, just aging can make your teeth yellow, especially if you smoke. Everyone wants the youthful look of bright white teeth. Should you spend the money for a professional whitening treatment or pick up a whitening kit at the drugstore? Are whitening strips bad for your teeth?
Is Home Teeth Whitening Safe?
There are multiple choices to whiten your teeth: whitening toothpaste, rinses, gel trays, strips, and a professional treatment by your own dentist. There are a growing number of at-home whitening kits available at almost any drug store. You can save money, whiten your teeth at your leisure, and no one will know you used a strip. As with anything, some can do more harm than good.
Of course you don’t want something that will make your teeth or gums sensitive. Therefore, before you purchase an at-home whitening kit with strips, perform some due diligence.
Check to see if the brand has the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval meaning they are safe and effective. Note the ingredients: hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Avoid using any strips containing chlorine dioxide, as it can destroy your enamel.
Professional Advice for Using Whitening Strips
Store brands have a lower concentration of whitening ingredients than whitening you get from a dentist. Talk with Dr. J.D. Robinette about which brand to select and whether you should be using hydrogen peroxide.
If your teeth are heavily stained, don’t have high expectations that you will get the results you seek from just using strips.
Follow all the product instructions like how long to leave the strips on your teeth plus the appropriate frequency for use. Most suggest 2 weeks. Most importantly, don’t leave the strips on your teeth longer than instructed as they can damage your teeth.
Find the right time of day to use the strips. At night while watching TV, doing household chores, getting dressed in the morning, or out for a walk might be great times to wear your strips.
In addition, make sure you are doing the following when using at-home whitening strips:
- Always brush your teeth before attaching strips. Plaque and bacteria will get trapped between your teeth and the strips which may cause decay. In addition, it may decrease the effectiveness of the whitening strips.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after removing the strips.
- Avoid using any strips containing chlorine dioxide. This can destroy your enamel.
- Continue to brush your teeth twice a day and floss.
- Avoid tobacco.
- Rinse after drinking dark liquids like coffee, tea, colas, and red wine.
- Have your teeth professionally cleaned by Dr. Robinette two times a year.
Contact J.D. Robinette & Associates at 828-267-0651 if your teeth are very stained and you want to schedule a professional whitening at our office in Hickory, NC.