Q:
My teeth have always been yellow. Will bleaching work on
them?
A: Because the peroxide goes inside the
tooth, people born with yellow teeth can benefit
from bleaching.
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Click
the images to view them larger. |
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Q: What do you need
to do first to see if you are a candidate?
A: Get an examination
and xray of any discolored teeth to make certain they are
not abcessed, have decay, or internal resportion. See how
many fillings you have in your "smile zone", since
they will not change color with bleaching.
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| This
tooth is discolored because there is a gray
filling on the tongue side of the tooth. A dental
examination may reveal restorations that need
to be replaced before or after bleaching. With
this gray filling, as the teeth become white
from bleaching, that tooth will look more gray.
The filling will be replaced first, then the
teeth bleached.
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Crown
did not change color after bleaching, so needs
to be replaced. |
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Two teeth did not seem to get whiter because
they were "translucent". The dental examination
will inform you if your darkness is from discoloration or
tranlucency.
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An xray checks for abcesses,
decay, or internal dissolving on the tooth, all of which
cause it to be dark. |
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Q: How do you know if you would look better from
bleaching?
A: When the color
of your teeth matches the whites of your eyes. |
Because the teeth do not match the whites
of the eyes, this person is a great candidate for bleaching.
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Q:
My teeth have gotten yellow as I
got older. Will Bleaching work on them?
A: The discoloration
from aging is a combination of more inside dentin forming,
more enamel wearing away, and staining over the years. This
is one of the most responsive discolorations to bleaching.
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Q: I took tetracycline
for ear infections when I was a child, and my teeth are
dark and gray. Is this a good situation for bleaching?
A: The toughest
stain to bleach is tetracycline, but over a period of months
of nightly treatment, the teeth usually will get lighter.
Most will be a lighter shade of gray and still look better.
Some will get completely white, but don't expect that.
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| Outstanding
outcome on tetracycline-stained teeth bleached nightly
for six months with 10% carbamide peroxide in a custom
fitted tray |
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Q: I take Minocycline
for acne, and my teeth seem to be getting dark. What do
I do?
A: Minocycline is
the best drug for acne, so you will have to keep taking
it. However, it is a tetraycline, so it will stain the teeth.
Bleaching periodically can re-lighten the teeth.
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| Outstanding
outcome on tetracycline-stained teeth bleached nightly
for six months with 10% carbamide peroxide in a custom
fitted tray |
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Q: I have been a
smoker, and want to stop. Can I erase the stains from nicotine?
A: Nicotine is a
stubborn stain, but will generally bleach out in 1-3 months
of nightly wear. From a health standpoint, it is a great
plan to stop smoking, and it keeps your teeth from re-staining.
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| Nicotine
stains from this 20 years of pipe smoking took two
months of nightly bleaching with 10% CP to remove. |
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Q: I have some white
spots on my teeth. Will they go away with bleaching?
A: White spots don't
go away, but the background of the tooth occasionally will
get light enough to make them less noticeable. Sometimes,
these white areas have to be "sanded off" or covered
with a restoration (filling).
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| This
white area had to be both bleached and sanded, while
the brown came out with bleaching alone.
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Q: I have these
brown areas on my tooth. How do I get rid of them?
A: Brown is responsive
to bleaching about 80% of the time, and should be the first
choice for removal.
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Brown
spot on fourteen-year-old from trauma to baby tooth.
Removed by 4 weeks of bleaching. |
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