Lemons for Teeth Whitening

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Is it possible to use lemons or lemon essential oils to whiten your teeth? I’ve been looking at ways to whiten my teeth at home without having to use the Zoom Machine that my dentist has. It makes your teeth super white and I am looking for something more subtle and natural because of my age. I’m going on 72.

Penelope

Dear Penelope,

An image of lemons

The problem with using any type of lemon product for whitening your teeth is that it will contain citric acid. If you rub it on your teeth, it will etch them. While it may make the teeth look a little whiter by removing some surface staining, this will only be temporary. That is because the etching damages the surface of your enamel, which will cause the teeth to pick up more stains. In fact, I recommend not brushing immediately after drinking a citrus drink for that very reason. You will grind the acid into the enamel with your toothbrush. If you must brush immediately after, do yourself a favor and swish some water around in your mouth in order to neutralize the acid first.

The safest way to whiten your teeth is with professional tooth whitening through your dentist. While it is true that Zoom Whitening will get your teeth very white, it is not your only option. There are take home bleaching trays that you can do.

Your dentist will custom fit the bleaching trays to your exact bite and provide you with professional strength whitening gel to wear in them. If you don’t want your teeth very white, that is no big deal. You simply wear the trays until you get to the level of whitening you are comfortable with. Once you reach the level you wanted, you simply stop wearing the trays.

It is hard to get a precise color, but you can get close. If you are looking for something precise, you could get porcelain veneers. These can be made to any color you want. However, they are more designed for complete smile makeovers. Porcelain veneers are fantastic if you want to change more than just the color of your teeth, such as the shape and size. However, if all you want to do is whiten them, veneers would be overkill and way too expensive.

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

Dental Implant Won’t Whiten

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I had an empty spot because of a lost tooth for some time. I came into some money and finally replaced it with a dental implant. It made my smile look much more attractive. I was inspired and decided to go one further and whiten my teeth. I’ve been doing the bleach with trays my dentist made for me. My teeth are whitening, but not the dental implant. Does that take longer or does it need a different formula?

Lorraine

Dear Lorraine,

An image of a dental implant crown being placed in three stages

I’m thrilled you are enjoying having your smile back. You’ve chosen a fantastic tooth replacement as well. In fact, a dental implant is the top-of-the-line in tooth replacement options. It’s like having a healthy natural tooth back.

The dental crown, which goes on top, can be made to any color you want. Unfortunately, once it’s color is baked on, it is permanent. The color doesn’t change. Your dentist should have warned you about that when you told him (or her) that you wanted to whiten your teeth.

It’s not just dental implants. When you bleach your teeth, the bleaching gel will only work on natural tooth structure. In order to get it to match the new white color of your teeth, it will have to be redone. Fortunately, it’s only the crown which will need to be redone, not the implant itself. That means it won’t cost you nearly as much.

What Type of Crown Should You Get?

I don’t know what type of crown your dentist provided for you. I hope it was an all-porcelain crown. If not, this is the perfect opportunity to get the “right” one. If it’s visible when you smile, the all-porcelain crowns look completely natural and reflect light the same way your natural teeth do.

If he gave you a metal-based crown, then you’ll end up with something much more opaque then you’d want. Plus, they always end up with a gray line showing up at your gumline, which will be very unattractive. The all-porcelain crowns never do that.

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