A couple of years ago I bleached my teeth. I really love them, but of course, over a two-year period they have picked up some stains. I need to get a crown on one of my teeth but would like to touch up their color before I get my dental crown so the color is what I want. I asked my dentist if there is a specific length of time I need to do it, but he could not really steer me in the right direction there. I saw on your website that you do teeth whitening. Can you give me some guidance?
Toni
Dear Toni,
I can give you some general guidelines here. I am a little concerned your dentist could not. As a precaution, I’d like you to ask to see before and after pictures of dental crowns he’s done, especially those on front teeth. Make sure he can match them in a way that looks both beautiful and natural. It might help to make sure they are not stock photos as well. They need to be photos of work he has actually done. If you are comfortable with the results he’s achieved then you are safe to move forward. If you are not, I’d look for a different dentist to do this.
General Tips on Teeth Whitening
The first thing to know is that the longer you can wear the whitening gel, the faster you will whiten. Many people will wear their teeth whitening trays overnight giving them maximum whitening with little inconvenience. That being said, some people have more sensitive teeth than others. If you are in that situation, try to strive for a minimum of 20 minutes per day. The trays your dentist can provide you (pictured above) are discreet enough that you can whiten your teeth while you go about your errands or housecleaning.
The second thing to know is keep at it until you reach the level of whitening you want. there is not a quantitative way to gauge that because each person whitens for different amounts of time each day. Plus, they have different current staining levels as well as goals for their teeth.
The last thing to know is the easiest and only real hard and fast rule. You want to give one week between the time you finish whitening and getting your crown. This is because there will still be some oxygen released in your teeth that will continue to whiten them a little for that length of time.
I hope this helped you.
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