3 Reasons to Schedule an Exam & Cleaning Before Whitening
Why you need to get a dental exam before your first professional teeth whitening treatment.
Are you tired of yellowed teeth tarnishing your smile? Whether your discoloration is caused by foods, beverages, or age, professional teeth whitening in your dentists’ office can help. However, if you want to have the best whitening experience and get the most satisfying result, you need to schedule a dental cleaning and exam first. Here’s why.
Ensure You Are a Good Candidate for Whitening
The first reason you need to get a dental exam before your professional teeth whitening treatment is that we want to make sure you are a good candidate for the treatment. The biggest concern is you may have certain types of staining that cannot be successfully improved with teeth whitening treatments. For example, stains or discoloration caused by damage to the inside of the tooth structure cannot be improved. Teeth whitening treatment is intended to improve stains that adhere to the surface of the tooth enamel. Extreme sensitivity or damage to the gum tissue or tooth enamel may be other reasons to think twice before undergoing professional teeth whitening treatment.
We also want to make sure you have reasonable expectations for what the treatment can accomplish. While professional teeth whitening is more powerful than at-home products, it is not a miracle product than can turn severely stained teeth bright white. You will see your teeth lighten several shades, but the end result depends on where you started out.
Get Advice about Restorations
Another very important reason to get a dental exam before whitening is that teeth whitening treatments are only effective on natural tooth enamel. If you have crowns, bridges, veneers, or composite fillings, these restorations will not change color. You will definitely want to get a dentist’s advice on the advisability of whitening if you have any of these kinds of restorations, along with an estimate for the cost of replacing or updating your restorations to make them match your newly whitened teeth.
Enhance Results of Teeth Whitening
The final reason to get not only an exam, but also a cleaning is that it will enable you to see a greater improvement in the color of your teeth. During a professional dental cleaning, the dental hygienist will remove tartar and scrub away some of the surface staining using a special toothpaste. This will leave your teeth nice and clean so that the teeth whitening treatment will be able to penetrate deeper and deliver better whitening.
Ready to Enjoy Whiter, Brighter Teeth?
If you’re ready to whiten your teeth, contact California Dental Group to schedule a cleaning and exam now. You can rely on the experts at California Dental Group to provide honest and accurate information about the benefits of teeth whitening as well as safe and effective whitening treatments.
