Crest Whitestrips Archives - Dr. Duane Delaune's Blog

Damage After Crest Whitestrips

Posted on April 1, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had a damaged tooth from years ago that has always been a bit darker than my other teeth. It’s always embarrassed me about my smile. I recently talked to my dentist about it and asked if tooth whitening would be a good idea. He doesn’t offer that service but said that Crest Whitestrips work. After about a week my teeth became sensitive. I went back and he said he thinks I need a root canal treatment. I don’t know why it would. Do you think I need a second opinion? Also, if Crest Whitestrips won’t work for me should I try another dentist who does do teeth whitening?

Calli

Dear Calli,

Teeth whitening trays

Your dentist showed a fundamental lack of understanding about teeth whitening. I’m glad to hear he doesn’t offer the procedure because he’d do one of the simplest cosmetic procedures ever wrong. No matter what type of teeth whitening you do, it will whiten the teeth evenly. So even if this darker tooth got whiter, so would all the other teeth around it. Therefore, the tooth would still be darker than the rest of them.

In this situation, you would need dental bonding or a porcelain veneer. Either one of these procedures would require an expert cosmetic dentist. Your dentist doesn’t qualify. Before we go onto finding an expert cosmetic dentist I want to address your immediate issue.

I would get a second opinion before getting a root canal treatment. Crest Whitestrips aren’t very strong. They do whiten, but it would take a significant number of boxes to match what you would get with a dentist. Even then, you would only have your first six teeth get whitened because that is all the strips will reach. I would be surprised if it caused you to need a root canal treatment. That doesn’t mean you didn’t have something else going on.

Bottom line. Get a second opinion. After that is dealt with, if you decide you want to get that tooth fixed cosmetically, I suggest you go to the mynewsmile.com website. They recommend expert cosmetic dentists by zip code. So you should be able to find one in your area.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Lemons for Teeth Whitening

Posted on December 28, 2018 by writeradmin.

I keep reading that lemons are a great way to naturally whiten your teeth. Is this true? I’d think the citrus acid would actually be bad for your teeth, but I’m not a dentist. So, I guess I’m asking if I can give this a try or is my amateur concern actually correct?

Lora

Dear Lora,

Can Lemons Wash Your Teeth?

Your reasoning is spot on. The citric acid in certain fruits is a danger to teeth. In fact, I would even recommend not brushing your teeth immediately after eating or drinking citrus without first swishing some water around in your mouth. Otherwise, you are grinding the acid right into your enamel.

What citrus fruits do that is useful is kill bacteria, that’s why teeth appear brighter when using them as a “whitener”. The same is true for apple cider vinegar which is also touted as a natural way to bleach teeth. However, it kills bacteria with acetic acid.

The problem with both of those options is their corrosive nature, as you surmised. If you think about it, citrus and vinegars are used in almost all cleansers because how powerful they are at breaking things down.

Safely Whitening Your Teeth

There are two ways you can safely whiten your teeth. The first is the over-the-counter whitening strips, such as Crest Whitening strips. They do work. They’re just limited in their strength and in the number of teeth they reach. You’d have to use many kits, to get to the level of one professional treatment. This leads me to the second option.

Professional teeth whitening is the standard for safely getting your teeth as white as possible.

Teeth Whitening At-Home with Custom Trays

This is done at your convenience with trays your dentist will custom fit to your bite. You’ll inject the whitening gel into the trays and wear them for a minimum amount of time each day until you reach the level of whitening you want. In fact, that’s their biggest benefit, you control how white your teeth get. If you just want to get them as white as possible, in-office whitening is faster.

Teeth Whitening with Zoom

In office whitening allows you to whiten your teeth in just one appointment. It uses a special light system which activates the whitening solution to work faster. By the end of your appointment, your teeth will reach their maximum level of whiteness.

Talk to your dentist. He’ll help you find the right way to get the bright smile you want.

This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

Can You Really Whiten Teeth with Charcoal?

Posted on July 19, 2018 by writeradmin.

My sister-in-law has been whitening her teeth using charcoal. She swears by it. I haven’t seen a ton of difference in her teeth, but I think there has been some. I have a couple of questions, though. One, does this actually work? Two, if so, is it safe?

Mandy L.

Dear Mandy,

Is Charcoal Safe for Teeth Whitening?

There are always fads in things like teeth whitening and wrinkle cream. This particular fad is because of a group of YouTubers. I worry about the impact this is having and how many people will end up ruining their teeth because of it. It’s important to ALWAYS consult your dentist before trying anything on your teeth. You obviously know to do that because you wrote the blog.

The first thing you should know is charcoal whitening is referring to activated charcoal and not the kind you use to grill your favorite burger. So, I wouldn’t run down to home depot to stock up thinking you’ll get a bright, white smile.

Here are some good things about activated charcoal:

It’s non-toxic, so ingesting it is perfectly safe. Some people swear by it as a detox agent.
It’s absorbent. This is one of the reasons people use it for detox. It also may be why it sometimes works for whitening. Certain stains can be soaked up.

Here is why you DON’T want to use charcoal for your teeth.

Everything has an abrasiveness rating. Charcoal is more abrasive than toothpaste. It’s so abrasive that it can scratch your enamel. That will lead to your teeth picking up more stains, which is counterproductive.

Safe and Effective Options to Whiten Your Teeth

If you want to do something without a dentist, those over-the-counter teeth whitening strips, such as Crest, actually do work. There are some downsides.

1. They’re not as strong as professional teeth whitening, so you have to use quite a few boxes to get the effects you can get with a dentist. With the number of boxes you’d have to purchase to get your teeth really white, you’re likely going to end up spending more money instead of saving money.

2. It only covers a few teeth (I think about six). Most people have a much wider smile than six teeth.

If you want to whiten all of your teeth at the same time with professional strength teeth whitening gel, you can do teeth whitening through your dentist. It’s still possible to do it in the privacy of your own home during a time which is convenient for you. Just tell him you want whitening trays for at-home whitening.

Finally, you can have all your teeth as white as they can possibly get in just one appointment with Zoom Whitening. This is done in-office, but usually only takes about an hour. Most offices use Zoom Whitening for this procedure, but there are other brands as well.

If You Want to do More than Whitening

If there are other things you’d love to change about your smile, porcelain veneers can give you a total smile makeover. With a skilled cosmetic dentist, they can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth all in one swoop.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Duane Delaune.