Did Crest Whitestrips Damage This Woman’s Tooth?

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I had a tooth that had been recessed for years due to an accident. That had caused it to be darker than the other teeth. I was looking for a cheap way to fix this and my dentist suggested Crest Whitestrips. I wore it for a little over a week with no problems, but then started having pain in the recessed tooth. It began to have sensitivity to hot and cold. I stopped using the whitestrips but the pain didn’t stop. I went to see my dentist and he believes I need a root canal treatment. Could Crest Whitestrips have caused this? If so, should my dentist have warned me that this would be a possibility?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

teeth whitening trays

Professional Teeth Whitening Trays

When I first heard this question, I was surprised because, generally, Crest Whitestrips are so weak that it would be hard for them to do much damage. However, as I’ve thought about your situation and the damaged tooth, it is possible. If the tooth is recessed it is likely already irritated or has some exposed dentin. The whitening strips could have pushed that tooth over the edge.Ā 

I am a little surprised your dentist suggested the Crest Whitestrips for a couple of reasons. One, it is dangerous for a patient to have teeth whitening done without supervision from a professional who can keep an eye on things. Second, the type of discoloration you have is not from stains so teeth whitening is not the solution. Those two things combined make me wonder if your dentist has a clear understanding of how teeth whitening works.Ā 

As for whether or not you need a root canal treatment, that would be hard to diagnose over blog post. The sensitivity to cold doesn’t bother me too much, but the sensitivity to hot tells me that it may not be able to heal on its own. You are perfectly within your rights to get a second opinion from another dentist who can examine you. If you do, I would suggest getting it done by an endodontist. They are root canal specialists. After the pain in the tooth is taken care of, you will want to see an expert cosmetic dentist in order to get the discoloration dealt with. They can give you all your options after examining the tooth.Ā Ā 

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.Ā 

Whitening Teeth With Lemons

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I’m looking for a way to whiten my teeth at home instead of having to go to the dental office for Zoom. I want more control over the whitening and someone told me Zoom can be painful. They also told me that using lemons on my teeth could whiten them. Is that true?

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

Lemons

I’m glad you wrote. While it is possible you could get some temporary whitening out of lemons, it will cause damage to your teeth and make them look darker in the long run. This is because lemons contain citric acid. When you place them on your teeth, the acid will etch the teeth. This may remove some surface stains, but the etching means the teeth will now pick up stains more rapidly because you no longer have the enamel to protect you from the stains. Additionally, long term use can thin out your enamel which will make your teeth sensitive.

There is a way to get your teeth professionally whitened at home. There are teeth whitening trays your dentist can custom fit to your bite. Then, he or she will provide you with professional strength teeth whitening gel. You have control over the level of whitening because if you reach the shade you want, you simply stop whitening.

Will it be painful? Not really. Zoom has been known to cause some “zings” for people with sensitive teeth. At-home whitening gives you more control. You determine how long it is on your teeth. If you wear it overnight and your teeth are sensitive in the morning, then just wear it for an hour a day. If that is too much, half that. The procedure is completely in your hands.

I hope this helps you. DIY procedures are great for home improvement projects, but rarely work for dental care.
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Teeth Whitening for White Spots

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I have had white spots on the bottoms of my front teeth since I was a child. They have always bothered me and I am finally in a position to do something about them. However, my dentist insists because my teeth are healthy I should leave them alone. Her exact words were, “Why mess with something that is not broken?” But, the teeth make me embarrassed. I was thinking about teeth whitening as an option but I need an opinion as to whether that will work or not.

Christine

Dear Christine,

teeth whitening trays

Teeth Whitening Trays

 

I am glad you wrote. While your dentist meant well, theĀ don’t fix what isn’t brokeĀ attitude is more the engineering mindset of a general dentist than what you would get from a cosmetic dentist. If it bothers you, then it is worth fixing. However, teeth whitening is not the solution.

Whitening is a great way to give yourself an inexpensive smile makeover. It can make you look years younger. However, it is not the solution for the white spots you are dealing with. Because teeth whitening whitens your teeth evenly, it will only serve to make the white spots even more noticeable.

Before and after dental bonding

What you will need is to have some dental bonding done. This procedure is remarkable at fixing chipped teeth, gaps in teeth, as well as evening out color, such what you are dealing with. The dentist will gently remove the surface where the white spots are and then fill in the area with composite bonding material that can blend in naturally with the remainder of the tooth surface.

The one catch here is that you need a skilled cosmetic dentist to do the work, which is done freehand. Your dentist will not be qualified to do this. I would go to another dentist for that procedure. Once your dental bonding is done, you can return to her for all your general dental work.

To make sure you get a dentist that can do this well, I recommend you look at their smile gallery. This is an online brag book of sorts with before and after pictures of cases they’ve actually done. If they don’t have a smile gallery, they do not do quality cosmetic work.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Whitening or Filling First?

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I have amalgam fillings and I want to get rid of them and replace them with the nice mercury-free fillings. I’m excited to finally have white fillings, but I’d also like to whiten my teeth. Is there a particular order to getting this done? Do I get the fillings first and then whiten my teeth or the other way around?

Milo

Dear Milo,

Before and after mercury-free fillings

Sanitary Amalgam Removal

There are actually two things to consider here. The first is who will replace your amalgam fillings. It requires a special procedure in order to be done safely. You will need to go to a dentist who has the equipment and understands the procedure. This is because the mercury will liquify during the procedure unless handled properly. As it is a known neurotoxin you don’t want to swallow or even inhale the mercury vapors.Ā  I would look for a mercury-free dentist. They only do white fillings and will be much more likely to know how to do a sanitary amalgam removal.

Matching Your Composite Fillings

As for the whitening versus the fillings. I would do the teeth whitening procedure first, especially if you have visible fillings. You can’t quite predict a perfect match with teeth whitening, but a dentist with some cosmetic skill can match the composite fillings to the color of your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to read about our free virtual smile makeover consultation.

Can Teeth Be Bleached to Match My Eyeballs

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I want to whiten my teeth to where they are as white as my eyeballs. Is that possible or am I being unrealistic?

Percy

Dear Percy,

Teeth Bleaching Trays

I find some of the questions I get to be fascinating. This is one of them. The answer would depend on how white your eyeballs are. At some point, whitening hits a wall. Additionally, it is hard to pinpoint a specific color with teeth whitening. When you think you have reached the level of whitening you want and stop whitening, there is always some oxygen released that changes the color a bit.

The best way to get a specific color and match your teeth to something is with porcelain veneers. These are more expensive than teeth whitening. I will caution you against price shopping on them though. Porcelain veneers are used for complete smile makeovers. This skill is not taught in dental school. Because of that, dentists have to invest in post-doctoral training to learn to do them well. To make it even more challenging, there is a need for artistry in order for the results to look both natural and beautiful. Artistic skill takes time. Not all dentists are created equally in this. You will often find that those dentists who are significantly cheaper than the standard, there is a reason. You don’t want to end up as a cosmetic dentistry horror story.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consultation.

 

Tooth Mousse and Teeth Whitening for White Spots

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I’ve developed some white spots on my teeth. I went to see my dentist and he prescribed me to use some tooth mousse. After that, he says I will need to do some teeth whitening. Will I need anything else after this or will this take care of the white spots?

Emily

Dear Emily,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

 

If I were grading your dentist, I would give him about a 45%. The white spots you are dealing with are precursors to decay. They show spots where your teeth are demineralized. If not dealt with, these will become cavities. Tooth Mousse will help with the remineralization and should prevent the decay. However, the company doesn’t make any claims about the appearance of the tooth.

As for the teeth whitening, that is way off base. One basic fact about teeth whitening is that it whitens your teeth evenly. That means the white spots will get whiter along with the remainder of your teeth. There will be no evenness of color.

The only way to get the color the same would be with microabrasion and dental bonding. I would not have your dentist do this. Teeth whitening is the most basic of the cosmetic dentistry procedures. He has a profound lack of understanding with how this works. Microabrasion and dental bonding are much more advanced. I would look for a skilled cosmetic dentist to do this for you.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Is Taking Tetracycline as An Adult Bad for Your Teeth?

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My doctor has me on tetracycline for acne. My dentist recently noticed the brownish lines on the back of my teeth. My mother thinks these might be from the tetracycline. Is this medicine bad for my teeth? Is there a way to get rid of the stains?

Maggie

Dear Maggie,

Smile with tetracycline stained teeth.

 

You did not mention how old you are, so I am not going to make any assumptions. Generally, tetracycline only stains your teeth if they are still forming. So, if you are over thirteen years of age (and your writing certainly indicates that) then it is unlikely that tetracycline is the culprit. That being said, there is one study that did indicate a specific variety of tetracycline, called minocycline, can stain adult teeth after they are formed. That would be the first thing I would check.

A great toothpaste to help remove surface stains is Supersmile toothpaste. Please don’t try and use any other over-the-counter whitening toothpaste that you can get. They use abrasives to scrub off stains. While it will make your teeth temporarily whiter, the abrasives damage your enamel and make it much easier for them to pick up stains.

If these are true tetracycline stains, and you are in the early stages, you can try teeth whitening, but you will have to be persistent with it. Other than that, you would have to fix them by covering them with porcelain veneers, though veneers do not go on the back of teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn how to get a free virtual smile makeover consultation.

 

White Spots on Teeth

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I’ve had white spots on my two front teeth my whole life. I like how they look, but my other teeth are dingy in comparison. My dentist is suggesting Lumineers, but I think that is more than I am wanting to pay. Can I not just whiten my teeth without whitening the two front teeth?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

 

I am glad you decided not to go with Lumineers. If all you want to do is whiten your teeth, that would be a massive, not to mention expensive, overtreatment. Additionally, Lumineers in particular are highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists. That is the last person you would want to have do a smile makeover for you. It takes significant post-doctoral training, not to mention an artistic eye, to do it well.

In your case, I would go with teeth whitening. However, teeth whitening works on teeth evenly. Ask your dentist to provide you with at-home bleaching trays. These should be custom fit to your bite. However, because of your two front teeth, you’ll want him or her to cut out the front teeth from the trays. This way the only thing being whitened are the teeth without the white spots.

For the benefit of others, I want to mention there is another type of white spots that takes a completely different treatment. If someone has white spots, they could have been there from childhood, as Laurie; but, often white spots appear after braces. These spots are different. They are decalcification spots, which are a precursor to tooth decay. Those who are wearing braces, often don’t realize how difficult it is to adequately brush around all those wires and brackets. This is why we recommend Invisalign whenever someone is a candidate. These are removable and make it super easy to upkeep your dental hygiene.

The solution for the type of white spots from braces, requires a skilled cosmetic dentist. The white spots have to be gently removed and then they can be recovered with composite bonding.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

What Else is Needed with Porcelain Veneers?

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I had planned on getting a smile makeover with porcelain veneers but my dentist keeps adding other procedures I need before I can get the veneers. Getting a full checkup and cleaning I understood. Getting Invisalign and teeth whitening seems excessive. Are these really necessary? I was under the impression that porcelain veneers can make your teeth look straight. The only thing I have that could “possibly”Ā  need some orthodontics is one canine tooth that is a little in front of the adjacent tooth. It seems unnecessarily expensive to do that for one tooth.

Letticia

Dear Letticia,

porcelain veneers

 

I’m glad you wrote and can help give you some direction here. Let’s start with the teeth whitening. How much of this you need will depend on how many porcelain veneers you plan on getting as well as how wide your smile is. Let us say, just as an example, that you only plan on getting four porcelain veneers. However, when you smile, you can see ten teeth. If the veneers are very white, but your natural teeth are more of a taupe it will be very obvious that you have four “fake” teeth on your front teeth. If however, you whiten your teeth first, then the adjacent teeth will blend more naturally with your new smile makeover. If you are getting plenty of porcelain veneers on your top teeth, then the only teeth you may want to whiten is your bottom arch so it is not a stark contrast to your top arch. This is much more affordable.

The Invisalign is a completely different story. Based on what you described to me, you should not have to have any orthodontics before getting porcelain veneers. Your understanding of a smile makeover and what porcelain veneers can do is more solid than your dentist’s. The fact that your dentist does not know how to make those teeth look straight tells me he is not skilled enough in porcelain veneers. Don’t force him to do this. You will be unhappy with the results. Instead, find a dentist with more expertise. Look at some before and after pictures of work they’ve done to ensure you would be happy to have those results.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Christi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.

Premium Home Whitening

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I keep seeing advertisements for something called Premium Home Whitening. If you are familiar with this product, would you mind letting me know what you think of it? I don’t want to waste my money, but I am interested in whitening my teeth. My dentist doesn’t do any cosmetic work, but I’ve been with him for years and would feel bad leaving.

Lorraine

Dear Lorraine,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

 

I looked at this kit. Here’s what I found. First, the whitening ingredient is 35% carbamide peroxide. That is a good teeth whitening ingredient. That’s a real plus and better than I see in most over-the-counter whitening kits. There are some things that lessen its value to you, though.

One of the biggest issues is the tray. The trays you see in the image above are custom-fitted by a dentist. This ensures that the teeth whitening gel stays in the trays and your saliva stays out. The trays with Premium Home Whitening are DIY, that means you’ll bite down to create the fit of the trays. These will not be custom fit. You’ll find that your saliva will get into the trays, which will dilute the whitening gel, making it less effective. In addition, your gel will leak out, not only will that not whiten your teeth, but it will put your gums at risk. There have been cases of someone needing a root canal treatment because of over-the-counter teeth whitening.

While this will whiten your teeth, I think in the long run it will cost you more to get equal results than you could from a dentist. I do realize your dentist does not do teeth whitening. You don’t have to leave him to get your teeth professionally bleached, though. You could go to your dentist for your general dental care and another for your cosmetic work. It is a common practice and your dentist would not be offended at all. If he wanted your teeth whitening business, he’d offer the service.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Kristi Cheek.