How Do You Know if Teeth-Whitening Will Work?

These days, noticing that your teeth are stained isn’t as serious of a concern as it used to be. That’s largely thanks to treatments such as professional teeth-whitening, which can quickly and effectively erase common teeth stains to dramatically improve your smile’s appearance. At our Oxnard, CA, dental office, we offer highly customized teeth-whitening treatment that allows us to effectively brighten your smile and make your teeth stains a thing of the past. During your next visit, ask us if teeth-whitening is your best option, or if you may need a more involved treatment to improve your smile.

Addressing your teeth stains
The most common stains to develop on your teeth are known as extrinsic teeth stains. They form on the outer surface of your teeth, known as the enamel, and can develop from things like the colorful molecules in your food and beverages. While the staining can be highly noticeable, the stains are typically simple to erase. Teeth-whitening approaches them by breaking up the staining deposits on your tooth enamel and removing them, brightening the tooth structure underneath as it does so.

Making sure whitening will work
Extrinsic teeth stains are typically simple to erase, but not all types of teeth stains are extrinsic. For example, if a stain develops underneath your tooth’s semi-translucent enamel, or if it’s the result of damage or infection within your tooth, then no amount of teeth-whitening solution will be able to erase them. If your exam reveals more serious forms of teeth staining, then we’ll recommend another, more appropriate cosmetic solution to improve your smile. That may include cosmetic tooth bonding, or one or more porcelain veneers, depending on your specific needs and preferences.

Your other options, in case it doesn’t work
If you have a single tooth that exhibits intrinsic, or internal, staining, then bonding the tooth with composite resin might be your most conservative option. Bonding over the blemish and sculpting, hardening, and polishing the resin will create a natural-looking, cosmetically-pleasing finish for the tooth. If you have several discolored teeth, then you might benefit more from custom-designed porcelain veneers, which are created to closely mimic healthy, natural teeth and bonded to your teeth’s front surfaces.

Find out if teeth-whitening works for you
As one of the more popular cosmetic treatments, teeth-whitening is often the most effective and convenient way to improve your smile’s appearance. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Oxnard Dentistry in Oxnard, CA, today at (805) 604-9999. We also proudly serve patients from in and around Camarillo, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Moore Park, and all surrounding communities.