Professional Teeth Whitening – The Perfect and Not-So-Perfect Candidates

Your teeth can become discolored or stained for a variety of reasons. Drinking tea, coffee, cola, and red wine can cause stains to accumulate over the years. Eating dark-colored foods like blueberries can also stain your teeth. Smoking or chewing tobacco, taking tetracycline antibiotics, and sustaining dental injuries are other common culprits. Because tooth enamel naturally thins with age, even the simple passage of time leads to a duller smile. Fortunately, your dentist in Detroit can help. Professional teeth whitening lightens your teeth and removes discoloration to create a whiter, brighter smile.

Teeth Bleaching Whitening Treatments: Who Are the Best Candidates?

Ideal candidates for professional teeth whitening have healthy teeth without fillings or restorations and healthy gum tissues. If your teeth have yellow tones, they are more likely to respond to treatment.

Teeth Whitening Isn’t Right for Everyone

Under some circumstances, teeth whitening is not a good idea. Less desirable candidates include the following.

• Individuals who seek an unrealistic or blinding-white results
• Pregnant and lactating women
• Children under 16 years of age
• People who are allergic to teeth bleaching whitening agents like peroxide
• Patients with periodontal disease, tooth decay, cavities, and exposed roots
• People with sensitive teeth
• People who have restorations such as fillings, implants, crowns, and dental bridges

Overcoming the Barriers to Whiter Teeth

If you don’t have perfectly healthy teeth, it may still be possible to have a professional teeth whitening procedure. Because crowns, bridges, and other inorganic restorations are immune to the effects of tooth whitening, your natural teeth and restored teeth may not match after the treatment. If uneven color is likely to be a problem, your dentist may be able to develop a strategy to get more consistent results. In some cases, new fillings or other restorations may be required. Even if whitening is not a viable option, your dentist offers many other ways to perfect your smile such as veneers or bonding.

To get the dental care you deserve from an affordable dentist in Detroit, call Gentle Dental of Michigan today at or make an appointment.