Teeth Whitening for Summer

It’s the warmest months of the year that stretch ahead of us with endless time at the beach, pool, or outdoors just relaxing and spending time with family and friends. This is the time of year for graduation parties, class reunions, etc. which means more parties and more photos. This means people do a lot more relaxing, and likely a lot more smiling. Thus, this makes summer one of the most common times for people to seek whitening treatments to make their smile the best it can truly be. Professional Bleaching Procedures: The first thing you will need to do is determine which kind of treatment you want so you know which option will be the best for you. The questions abound: Do you have porcelain teeth or a discolored stain to the front teeth? Is there decay on any of your teeth currently? These will have massive implications on what kind of treatments will work for you or which won’t. Professional whitening recommendations will vary. Some offices will require you to have impressions made of your teeth to make you custom trays that fit into your mouth so you can use the gels they provide in the comfort of your own home to whiten your teeth. Others will provide this treatment in-office using lasers or ultraviolet lights to help active a solution or goo that is put on the teeth to help them whiten. These are the treatments that are going to take longer so sometimes scheduling them before school starts and things get busy can help ensure you have the time you need to get these treatments done. You have more time and these whitening procedures can take a few appointments that may last 1-2 hours in length. Your dental professional can help you determine if these are the right treatments for your situation. Over-The-Counter (OTC) Treatments: These are the whitening kits you buy at the local grocery store or Walmart that allow you to do the whitening at home. Usually, these will not deliver quite the results of in-office whitening treatments, but they will also be much less expensive. These treatments can include things like whitening toothpaste to remove stains from things such as coffees, teas, cigarettes, and other discoloring agents. This toothpaste can help restore the teeth’s natural colors and are a great first-step in the whitening process at home. This toothpaste will not make the tooth more sensitive to heat or cold either, so you can still enjoy ice pop or ice cream without worrying about a stinging sensation in your mouth from the cold on newly whitened, sensitive teeth. Maintaining the Shine: Once your teeth have been whitened, you can maintain that shine by going through routine dental checkups, which for most people is every 6 months, and maybe more often if you have a reason to be going more often. Ensuring you have a toothbrush with you on the go so you are brushing your teeth 2-3x a day in the summer as you enjoy extra junk food can also keep your teeth from becoming somewhat discolored again. If you don’t have a toothbrush, simply rinsing with water is better than nothing! You can also try using whitening pens or trays along with the whitening toothpaste to help touch up discolored spots on your teeth during the summer to help provide your whitest smile possible! Summer is, after all, the perfect time to pursue whiter smiles as you can use both in-office and at-home treatments to reveal a whiter smile to ensure you are shining your brightest. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”